Flirting 102
by tranquilitygal95
Summary: Yumi comes back from Japan and puts her fate in Aelita's hands. Ulrich grudgingly trusts his friends. Now the two face jealousy, pride, and love. This is the one class they don't want to fail. YxU, minor JxA. Sequel to Flirting 101
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko.

Chapter 1

Yumi looked out the window of the plane, flying over Italy. She sighed as she remembered that any money she had earned over the past two years would be gone. Oh, well, it was worth it. Something in the back of her mind told her she'd be hugging Ulrich too much to remember.

"Shut up," whispered Yumi quietly, going red.

_Don't deny it._

"Watch me," murmured Yumi, but that didn't stop her from blushing more.

"Yumi, why are you talking to yourself?" asked her father.

"Oh, I-I'm just a little...homesick?" offered Yumi. Takeo Ishiyama shrugged and went back to talking with his wife.

_That was close. Almost as close as you want to be with Ulrich._

Yumi started grinding her teeth as she looked back at the ground. If she didn't know it was just plain stupid, she'd throw her brain down there.

* * *

Ulrich sat down on his favorite tree in the park. No one would interrupt him here. That's because the only people who knew he was here were the rest of the gang, except for Yumi, and they respected the fact that this tree was his.

His heart thumped loudly when he recalled that Yumi was finally coming back from Japan today. Blood rushed to his face and he groaned. Why did he always think about her so much?

_Because you like her, genius._

"No, I don't!" said Ulrich quietly, not feeling like arguing with himself.

_You're right. It's because you love her._

Ulrich didn't say anything, but instead shot his fist at the tree he was sitting on, picturing it to be his conscience. It wasn't such a great idea. Ulrich cursed under his breath, trying not to feel his throbbing hand.

* * *

Odd sat in the courtyard, watching his friends. Jeremie and Aelita, having been together for a week, were making cow eyes at each other. Ulrich was staring up at the sky, like he was waiting for something to fall down on them. He saw Melanie pass by, and winked at her. She giggled.

"Yep, I've still got it," said Odd, satisfied.

"Huh?" asked Ulrich, coming back to Earth.

"What was that?" asked Jeremie and Aelita, snapping out of their dreamworld.

"Ugh, it's so hard being best buds only with people who are in love," said Odd dramatically.

"Hey, guys, what's up?"

"Yumi!" cheered the four, running up to crush her.

"O-Oxygen," gasped Yumi, pointing to her throat. The gang released her. Ulrich was the last to let go. "What did I miss?"

"In case you haven't figured it out, Mr. and Mrs. Einstein have made it official," said Odd, smiling.

"You're getting married?!" asked Yumi, looking at Jeremie and Aelita in awe.

"No!" said Aelita bashfully. "We're dating."

"You don't say!" said Yumi. "Congratulations."

Yumi looked back at Ulrich. He'd grown a few inches since she last saw him. Actually, he was a little bit taller than her!

"Yumi, a-are you okay?" asked Ulrich, noticing her staring at him.

"I'm fine," said Yumi, glancing at the concrete beneath her feet. "I'll fill you guys in on everything that happened later, but I've got something to take care of."

Ulrich watched her go until Odd poked him.

"Ulrich and I have some business to attend to as well, don't we?" said Odd. Ulrich nodded.

"Yeah, we'll catch you two later," said Ulrich. Jeremie and Aelita barely noticed.

* * *

"Azra," said Yumi.

"Thanks, Yumi," said Azra.

"No problem," replied Yumi, smiling. "Naomi."

"Finally!" said Naomi.

"Melanie," said Yumi. The list when on and on, where Yumi put twenty euros in each girls' hand.

"Sissi," said Yumi stiffly.

"Ishiyama," retorted Sissi. Yumi shoved the thirty euros in her hand. Sometimes, bribery was the best solution.

"Thanks for helping out Aelita, everyone," said Yumi. "I'm sure she appreciated it."

"We didn't think it would be so hard for her and Jeremie to get together," confessed Emily.

"But you did it, and that's what I payed you for," said Yumi, smirking. "I'll see you around."

* * *

"Alright, men, you did a swell job!" said Odd cheerfully.

"We couldn't have done it without you," added Ulrich.

"Enough chit chat, where's our money?" asked Thomas impatiently.

"Fine, here," said Odd, handing the banknotes out.

When Ulrich reached William, an uncomfortable silence dawned on them. Yumi was back, and their "truce" was over. William nodded curtly, and Ulrich moved on.

"Nice job," muttered Odd supportively. "I know that wasn't easy." Ulrich shrugged.

"It's been a blast, guys," said Ulrich. "Jeremie and Aelita have never been happier."

"Did you guys have to take a week to pay us?" asked Bastien.

"Hey, we aren't made of money!" said Odd. "I've got five sisters at home, and Ulrich's dad wasn't too eager to give him three advances on his allowance."

* * *

Aelita looked back at her boyfriend, her finger over the cellphone in her hand.

"Ready, Jeremie?" asked Aelita.

"Ready," said Jeremie, smiling.

"Okay, good luck," Aelita said, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll go meet the girls and make sure they know the plan."

"And I'll call up the guys," said Jeremie. "And then we'll each start Plan A."

Aelita nodded and left the room, dialing Yumi.

"Hey, Yumi, can you come visit me at Kadic?" asked Aelita. "I've got a date with Jeremie, and I need some help picking out an outfit."

"Okay, Aelita, I'll be right over," said Yumi, standing up from her sitting position on the bed and slipping on her boots.

Yumi pulled on a jacket and let her mom know where she was going, promising to be back in time for dinner. She took a shortcut to the academy, and ran into William.

"Oh, hey, Yumi!" William greeted her brightly. "It's good to see you back! How was Japan?"

"Fine, thanks," said Yumi shortly.

"Was it any fun?" asked William, blocking her way with his skateboard.

"Yeah, tons of fun," said Yumi. "Look, I gotta be somewhere, so if you could move--"

"Really? Where to?" asked William, grinning.

"Somewhere else!" said Yumi. William didn't budge.

Yumi turned on her heel and went in the other direction. William scratched his head in bewilderment as she took another route, wondering what he did wrong.

Yumi was really starting to wish William would bug off. She had had a small, tiny attraction to him at first, but she only talked to him now to make Ulrich jealous. Which was working pretty well. If it weren't for the fact that they kept fighting.

"Aelita?" asked Yumi, knocking on the door to Aelita's room.

"Come in!" chirped Aelita.

Yumi entered the room, and her heart sank. Ten girls occupied Aelita's dorm, all beaming rather mischievously at her.

"Aelita, what's going on?" asked Yumi, feeling uncomfortable under twenty eyes.

"Welcome to class," said Aelita, folding her arms. "You're about to be schooled."

"We know you've got a thing for Ulrich," said Naomi, smirking.

"And we want to help you out a little," said Heidi, shrugging.

"Give us just a bit of your time, and he'll be yours for life," said Jean.

"No. Way," said Yumi, shaking her head furiously. "You have _got _to be kidding me!"

"Yumi, I know you payed for my lessons," said Aelita. "Let me return the favor!"

"How'd you know?" asked Yumi.

"Oh, it wasn't that hard to figure out," answered Aelita innocently. "Also, raising the wages for these girls had it's benefits."

"Aelita, you have no money," said Yumi pointedly. "How could you possibly pay them?"

"Can't we do something out of the goodness of our hearts?" asked Claire, offended.

"Not for under twenty euros!" replied Yumi darkly.

"Or for anything below a B in their classes," added Aelita smartly. "Tutoring can work, too."

"Brilliant," complimented Yumi. "But I'm not doing this."

"You know, as much as I hate to say it, Sissi is actually kind of pretty," said Camille. "And Ulrich is going to realize it eventually. Do you want that to happen?"

"Come on, Sissi is an airhead!" scoffed Yumi. "There's no way he'd ever fall for her!"

"You fell for him," said Azra. "That's what matters. And you want him."

"That's ridiculous," said Yumi, blushing.

"Sure," said Lola sarcastically. "You love Ulrich, you act the same way around him that Aelita does around Jeremie."

"And after going through their course, look how it ended up for me!" said Aelita.

"Ulrich and I are friends, that's all we'll ever be," said Yumi. "I appreciate you going to all this trouble, but you didn't have to."

"Yumi, trust me, I'm not an expert on relationships, but Ulrich has it bad for you," said Aelita. "He literally counted the seconds while you were in Japan. He got to 2,984 before Odd, Jeremie, and I had to slap him upside the head. Then we caught him doing it in secret."

"You're making that up," said Yumi firmly.

"Even if Ulrich wasn't totally infatuated with you, we can still help," said Emily. "Imagine, Mrs. Yumi Stern. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Yumi's cheeks went red as she smiled. She _did _like the sound of that. Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

"Alright," Yumi agreed. "A few lessons, but that's it."

"Of course, of course," said Aelita, nodding. "Now, about Plan A..."

Yumi gulped as she went on. What had she just done?

* * *

"Jeremie, I'm here," said Ulrich, opening the door to Jeremie's room. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing," said Jeremie, turning around in his chair. "Just wanted to talk."

Ulrich's jaw hung down. Jeremie's former instructors, including Odd, had all joined him.

"What's happening?" asked Ulrich, frowning.

"It's time you and Yumi got together," said Odd. "She just got back from Japan, and she misses you like crazy."

"So?" asked Ulrich, blushing. "We're best friends, it's only natural!"

"Best friend or boyfriend, which would you prefer?" asked Jean-Baptiste.

"Well, I guess boyfriend," said Ulrich slowly.

"Please, you're in love with her," said Jeremie, chuckling. "I want to help you get Yumi just like you helped me."

"Jeremie, how are you going to get that much money?" asked Ulrich doubtfully.

"You know, a good grade in science can be just as powerful as twenty euros," said Jeremie slyly. "We're going to teach you everything you need to go out with Yumi."

"Hold on, who's to say she didn't meet someone in Japan?" asked Ulrich.

"Don't you think she'd have been going on and on about him when she was telling us about the trip?" asked Christophe.

"Point taken," said Ulrich. "She's probably glued to William right now, though."

"I wouldn't put money on that bet," said Theo, shrugging.

"Theo?" asked Ulrich, only noticing him just now. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help," said Theo. Ulrich looked back at Jeremie, who nodded.

Ulrich sighed. He'd been hopeful that Yumi would feel for him the way he did her since they met, and maybe taking these classes would let him achieve that. Just thinking about Yumi's beautiful, porcelain face made him go weak in the knees. And if Jeremie could cooperate with Theo, after everything that had happened between them, then he could let the guys give him a few tips.

"Fine, I'll do it," said Ulrich. He cracked a smile. "I am your humble student. Bring on the plans."

"With pleasure," said Jeremie evilly.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko

Chapter 2

"Yumi, to flirt, you must know your subject," started Emily. "What do you know about Ulrich?"

"His birthday's on November 17th, he's an only child, he likes hot dogs with the works..." rambled Yumi, but stopped when she realized what she was doing. "Oh, um, I'm guessing."

"Okay, I see you've got that covered," said Aelita, rolling her eyes. "From what we can tell, I conclude a subtle approach would be best. Ulrich's eyes are glued to you half the time, anyway, he can take a hint. And, we might as well start tonight."

"So, what am I supposed to do?" asked Yumi, blushing.

"Give this back to him," said Melanie, holding up Ulrich's book bag.

"You stole it?" asked Yumi, raising an eyebrow. Ten heads nodded. "Let me get this straight. I give him back what's _already _his, and he's supposed to love me?"

"One, he _already_ does," reminded Aelita. "Two, he's going to blush and thank you. And drop dead at the sight of you."

"Why?" asked Yumi, afraid to know the answer.

"You might as well look gorgeous when you meet him," said Azra, holding up a case.

"No way on Earth am I going to let you give me a makeover," said Yumi firmly.

"Who said we're giving you the choice?" asked Claire smartly.

Yumi stopped for a few seconds. Heidi and Azra were guarding the door, Camille and Jean were stationed at the window, and she couldn't exactly dig her way out. She was outnumbered, and that was that.

"Fine," said Yumi defeatedly. "But if I look like an alien, I will plot a slow and agonizing death for each and every one of you."

"You don't have to get violent," scolded Aelita. "Besides, they got better at it from practicing on me."

* * *

"A girl likes it when you're thoughtful of her," said Odd. "Yumi is no exception. Give her your undivided attention at all times."

"Won't that annoy her?" asked Ulrich. Yumi liked her space, he knew that much.

"Not at all," said Thomas. "Don't stalk her, but show her that you notice her."

"I don't know," said Ulrich. "What do you think, Jeremie?"

"It's all part of Plan A," said Jeremie. "The next time you see her, try to see if there's anything different, and ask how her classes were."

"Is this really gonna work?" asked Ulrich doubtfully.

"It won't bring it all together, but it'll help you get there," said Jeremie, smiling. "You better go back to your dorm, Jim's gonna start his rounds soon."

"Okay," said Ulrich, sighing. "Coming, Odd?"

"Nope, I'm gonna go practice my skateboarding," said Odd. "It'll be fun to barely make curfew."

"Wait, you might need this," said Jeremie, tossing him a bottle. "And don't worry, it's not girl-repellent like the kind you got me."

Ulrich caught it and read the label. Cologne. It couldn't hurt to smell okay, he guessed.

He got up off his chair and left, wondering what he was supposed to say to Yumi when he saw her. Why did he agree to go through with this in the first place? He would only make a fool of himself. And in front of the girl he loved, to top it off.

* * *

Yumi had to be pushed in the direction of Odd and Ulrich's dorm to start moving. She ran her fingers over the fabric of Ulrich's book bag, ready to return it. Slowly and hesitantly, she knocked on the door, praying he wouldn't answer. She had never actually seen what had happened to her face.

"Hello?" asked Ulrich, swinging the door open. His eyes bugged out at the same time his jaw dropped. There was _definitely_ something different about her! "Y-Yumi?"

"Hey, Ulrich," said Yumi, trying to be nonchalant. "I found your book bag in the hallway; here."

"O-Oh, th-thanks," said Ulrich, nodding as he took it.

She looked like a goddess! Every beautiful feature of her face had been enhanced! It took every fiber of his being to not fall at her feet. He barely remembered the instructions he'd been given.

"So, how were your classes?" asked Ulrich shyly, throwing the bag behind him.

"Fine," said Yumi, blushing. "Yours?"

"Fine," answered Ulrich. Crap, he must be sounding like an idiot!

"Well, I better get going," said Yumi anxiously. "My parent's are gonna freak if I'm late."

"Yeah," said Ulrich. Before she turned away, he gulped and added, "Hey, Yumi?"

"Yes, Ulrich?" asked Yumi hopefully.

"You look...really nice," finished Ulrich lamely. That's it, he'd have to slap himself when she left.

"Thanks," said Yumi warmly. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure," said Ulrich, nodding. "Good night."

"Night," said Yumi.

Chills shot down her spine when she felt his eyes on her, but in a good way. So any changes made to her face must have been somewhat beneficial, right?

And why did he smell weird?

* * *

"I got off the phone with Yumi about an hour ago," said Aelita. "I'm worried she might be reading too deep into this. She kept going on and on about his reaction, and over-thinking things almost always leads to doubts."

"Ulrich's the same way," said Jeremie. "With luck, they'll get over it by morning. At least it worked."

"True," said Aelita, repositioning herself in his arms. "I got Yumi to attract stares, and you got Ulrich to stare at her."

"We make quite a team," said Jeremie, kissing her cheek. "Plan B tomorrow?"

"Of course," said Aelita. "Jeremie, do you think we should maybe just keep our noses out of their business?"

"If they had done the same for us, what would have happened?" asked Jeremie.

"We wouldn't be here right now," said Aelita, blushing.

"We owe them," said Jeremie, shrugging. "They'll thank us in the end."

"I know," said Aelita, grinning. "If they don't murder us, first."

"That's the positive way to go," said Jeremie, chuckling as he stroked the sides of her face. "You realize that if Jim catches you here, we're busted."

"Yeah," said Aelita, standing up. Jeremie pulled her down into a last kiss, then said goodnight.

* * *

Ulrich rose sleepily out of bed, glancing over at his roommate. Odd was snoring loudly into his pillow. Kiwi was whining for some food.

"Shh, Kiwi," muttered Ulrich, stumbling for the bag of dog food. "You'll wake up everyone!"

After supplying Kiwi with his breakfast, he left to get changed. His thoughts drifted over to Yumi, as they usually did. Her kind, independent nature amazed him, and threw him off at the same time. Either way, he knew she was the one he was meant to spend his life with. If he could actually tell her how he felt, then they could start that life.

Besides, everything was just...better when Yumi was around. He couldn't explain it, but whether he was about to take a math test he wasn't ready for, or be blown up by Xana, she made him forget what was going wrong.

Unless she was in danger. Then it was a hundred times worse.

Ulrich knew there was no reason to be protective of Yumi, that she was tough and could fend for herself, but he couldn't help it. Watching her get hurt, or almost hurt, was unbearable for him. She was everything for him.

* * *

Yumi made a dash out of her house and down the street. Why couldn't her alarm clock go off on time?

"Ms. Hertz is gonna kill me!" muttered Yumi, turning a corner.

She yawned into her sleeve. She had talked to her new mentors most of the night, learning the do's and don'ts of flirting. She didn't know it was so much work. But, if it made her closer to Ulrich...

Ulrich was like her knight in shining armor. He was her strength when she was about to fall. He gave her hope when she was about to quit. If only he knew it!

Every time they hugged or nearly kissed, she felt her heart try to burst out of her chest. If he stared at her with those knowing brown eyes, she wanted to melt in a puddle. And she liked it.

Her mom and friends would say it was love. Her dad would say "Stop looking at boys and do your homework!" Her brother would say "Go out with him already!"

But what would Ulrich say? In her dreams, he'd smile and admit that he loved her too. In her nightmares, he frowned and said he was working up the nerve to ask out Sissi or some other girl, and that she herself was a mere friend.

Why couldn't he come with an instruction manual?

* * *

**A/N:** Voila! My sad attempt at major UxY. Sorry for the short chapter. Stupid writer's block. Anyway, ElementistMagicAkua now helps me out with ideas, so that shouldn't happen too often. Happy Easter!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko(sigh).

Chapter 3

"Why don't we grab a bite to eat in town?" asked Jeremie as the bell rang.

"What?" asked Ulrich, surprised. "You aren't rushing to the factory?"

"He's taking a break," said Aelita firmly. "Right, Jeremie?"

Jeremie nodded, and Aelita pecked him on the cheek.

"I can't go," said Odd, frowning. "Jim gave me detention."

"Well, what do you expect?" asked Jeremie. "You stole his whistle and made him chase you around the school for it!"

"It was just a joke!" said Odd defensively. "He has no sense of humor!"

"I wouldn't be laughing at it, either," said Yumi, joining them.

"Hey, Yumi," greeted Aelita. "Want to go get a burger?"

"Sure, why not?" asked Yumi. "Let's go."

When they walked into the fast food restaurant, Aelita pulled Yumi to the side. Jeremie did the same with Ulrich. They gave the same piece of advice.

_"This is your first date. Don't mess it up!"_

Ulrich was shocked. They were just getting a burger; it wasn't a date, was it? And the fact that Jeremie sat on the opposite side of the booth only confused him more.

"Hey!" hissed Ulrich. "When you went on the double-date with Odd and Melanie, you sat next to him!"

"Come on, you're a big boy," mocked Jeremie, smirking. "You're not _afraid_ of Yumi, are you?"

"No!" retorted Ulrich, blushing.

"Food's here!" announced Aelita, sliding next to Jeremie. "We even bought Odd a few meals."

"He'll be pleased," said Jeremie, smiling.

"Dig in," said Yumi, squirting ketchup next to her fries.

Ulrich and Yumi were halfway through their food when they noticed Jeremie and Aelita staring at each other, having some kind of silent conversation. Then Jeremie turned his head to the side and pulled her in to a kiss. She complied by fastening her arms around his neck.

Ulrich immediately lost his appetite. If this was Jeremie's way of telling him to make a move, the genius was in for a lot of pain. He glanced at Yumi, and discovered she had been looking at him with a strange expression on her face.

"Um, Yumi, are you okay?" asked Ulrich nervously.

Yumi, who had been imagining her and Ulrich participating in the same activities Aelita and Jeremie were, woke up from her daze and tried to swallow her fry. It caught in her throat and she started to cough. It began to get harder to breath, and Ulrich jumped up.

"Yumi!" yelled Ulrich worriedly.

He tried to remember everything he had ever heard about the Heimlich maneuver, then wrapped his arms around her stomach. The fried potato strip popped out and surrounding diners clapped.

"Are you alright?" asked Ulrich, watching her catch her breath.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," said Yumi. "Thanks."

"Anytime," said Ulrich sheepishly.

And then he realized he still hadn't let her go. Yumi's hands were resting over his arms, warm and comforting.

"Oh, er, sorry," said Ulrich, releasing her. Her face fell at first, but she smiled when Ulrich handed her a soda.

"Maybe we should go," said Aelita, standing up. "We've all got homework."

The others nodded and left the building.

* * *

"Okay, Jeremie, what were you thinking?" asked Ulrich angrily.

"I was thinking that you'd take the hint and kiss Yumi," said Jeremie, shrugging. "And I don't know if you noticed, but you came pretty close."

"It was humiliating!" said Ulrich, going red. "Yumi was probably more embarrassed than she's ever been!"

"Or, grateful that you saved her from choking," said Odd, smiling.

"Did you plan that or something?" asked Ulrich.

"No, but it worked out nicely," said Thomas, shrugging.

"Ulrich, did half the plans you used for me turn out the way they were supposed to?" asked Jeremie quizzically.

"Well, no," said Ulrich, scratching the back of his head.

"And what happened in the end?" prodded Odd.

"They confessed," said Ulrich dully.

"So, if it happened to me, it can happen to you," said Jeremie. "But, if you really don't want any tutors, there is another option."

"What?" asked Ulrich.

"Go and tell Yumi," said Jeremie. "Let her know."

"But what if she doesn't like me back?" asked Ulrich.

"What if she does?" countered Theo.

"Our friendship means more than anything to me," said Ulrich. "I don't want that ruined."

"What if she came in here and said she wanted to go out with you?" asked Jean-Baptiste. "Wouldn't that ruin your friendship? You know, turn it into something else?"

"That's different," said Ulrich, flushed.

"Let's call it a night," said Bastien, yawning. "I've still got an essay to write before bed."

Odd showed them out the door, fed Kiwi, then fell asleep on his bed. Ulrich stayed awake a little while longer, then he too drifted off.

* * *

"So, Yumi, what was it like?" asked Aelita, perched on her bed.

"What was what like?" asked Yumi inquisitively.

"Having Ulrich's big, strong arms around you?" asked Heidi teasingly, smirking.

"It was...nice," said Yumi finally. What was she supposed to say? Aelita stared at her disbelievingly.

"_Nice?_" asked Aelita. "Just nice?"

"Okay, okay!" said Yumi. "It was most likely one of the best things I've ever felt!"

"That's better," said Azra. "Now, do you have any ideas on how to feel that again?"

"Um, well, no," said Yumi, blushing.

"That's okay," said Emily, nodding. "Because we do."

"I'm really starting to wonder why I agreed to these lessons," said Yumi, shaking her head.

"Hey, you don't have to if you don't want to," said Aelita. "On one condition."

"And what would that be?" asked Yumi curiously.

"Tell Ulrich you're head over heels for him," answered Aelita casually. "You won't really need instruction after that, would you?"

"No way," said Yumi. "Ulrich could get any girl in this school; he'd laugh in my face if I told him that!"

"He wasn't laughing in your face earlier today when he was saving you," said Camille. "Nor was he complaining when he was hugging you."

"He was worried about me," said Yumi firmly.

"Ugh, I actually think you're worse than I was," said Aelita, sighing. "Ulrich is wrapped around your finger. He's looking at you when you don't notice, and he's hoping you do the same. For the last time, _he's in love with you!_"

"What would it take for you to tell him?" asked Claire wearily.

"He would have to say it first," said Yumi.

"Then we'll have to crank up our efforts," said Lola seriously. "Since you didn't kiss Ulrich like you were supposed to today, we'll just have to go on to Plan C tomorrow."

"Joy," said Yumi sarcastically. "Well, it's getting late. I'm gonna head home. Night."

"Night," chorused her mentors.

* * *

"Jeremie, I don't know if I feel comfortable doing this," said Aelita worriedly.

"It's only natural," said Jeremie assuringly. "But don't think of it as an invasion of privacy. Think of it as doing a favor for our friends."

"Still, they'll swear revenge if they find out," said Aelita.

"Didn't we do the same?" asked Jeremie, holding her tighter. "But we forgave them."

"I guess there's no use in worrying," said Aelita. "Here."

Aelita handed Jeremie a book, and he gave her another. She slipped it into her backpack slowly, not completely concern-free.

"Everything's going to be fine," said Jeremie, slipping her hand in his. "I trust you told her of the way out?"

"Yes, and she declined," said Aelita. "Did Ulrich?"

"Of course," said Jeremie. "It's not really a tempting offer, is it?"

"No, but it's for the best," said Aelita. "Well, good night, Jeremie."

"Sweet dreams, Princess."

Their plan was simple. They gave Yumi and Ulrich a choice: continue with the lessons, or confess outright. As expected, the almost-couple picked the first. Jeremie and Aelita intended on making the plans so annoying, so unbearable, the other option sounded like bliss. It was not kind, and probably wouldn't be considered fair, but it was foolproof. And, they'd share a few laughs along the way.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko.

Chapter 4

Yumi sighed and sat down in a chair, crossing her fingers that today's lesson wouldn't be too terrible. Who knew what horrors Aelita and her mentors had in store for her?

"You're late," chided Aelita.

"Sorry, Jim made the class run an extra mile," said Yumi apologetically.

"Well, today we're going to reinforce the fact that Ulrich likes you," said Aelita, waving a small black book in her hand. "Let's see, here..."

"I can't believe you," said Yumi, gaping. "Stealing his book bag is one thing, but his _diary_?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," said Naomi with a shrug.

"Ah, September 21st," Aelita read aloud. "_I can't believe it! William just walked up to our table at lunch today and asked Yumi if she was doing anything later! Who does he think he is? Then Yumi shot him down and muttered something; I think I heard the word _pig_, but maybe it was wishful thinking. William slouched away after that, letting us eat in peace. One of these days I think I'm just gonna lose it and push him down a hole. It's hard enough trying to talk to Yumi without him butting in! It'd really help if...Gah, I don't know. If William and Sissi could date each other? Yeah, perhaps. I still don't know--"_

"Let me see that!" said Yumi, snatching the diary out of Aelita's hands. She read over the words to find Aelita hadn't embellished at all, and it was Ulrich's handwriting. She blushed and meekly handed it back.

"He has such a way with words, doesn't he?" asked Claire, smirking. "Oh, go to last Valentine's Day, I bet there's something good in there!"

Aelita nodded and obliged. "_Ugh, I'm stuck going to a concert with Sissi. I'm surprised Yumi was okay with it, usually she hates Sissi. I guess Yumi finally fell for William or something, but I don't get it. William basically said she was just like every other girl! Idiot. Then again, that poem I tried to write wasn't much better, but Yumi seemed to like it. This is probably the most confusing day of the year. Why can't love ever be simple? Yep, I said it. I love Yumi Ishiyama! Oh, crap, Odd's looking at me funny. This is it for this entry."_

Once again Yumi grabbed the diary to make sure she was hearing the truth. Aelita had skipped over some Lyoko bits, but everything else was just has she had read. Yumi blushed more profusely and sheepishly stared at the floor.

"Should we continue?" asked Azra.

"No," said Yumi, shaking her head. "Just make sure he gets it back."

"We wouldn't want to violate her boyfriend's privacy," said Aelita. "Oh, and Yumi, you're still tardy. Twenty push-ups. Now."

"What?" asked Yumi, startled. Had she heard her correctly?

"Fine. Thirty," ordered Aelita. She clapped her hands and yelled loudly, "Now!"

The emerald fire in her friend's eyes scared Yumi out of her wits, and confused her greatly. Her other teachers soon mimicked Aelita, and, under the glares and intimidation of ten, she did thirty push-ups, throwing in an extra five for good measure.

"What was that all about?" asked Yumi after Aelita's gaze softened.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Aelita, brushing it off. "All right, moving on."

* * *

"We're going to be using a...teaching tool today," said Jeremie, somewhat hesitantly. "Recognize this?"

"No," said Ulrich, watching Jeremie wave a book in his hand. "What is that?"

"Yumi's diary," said Jeremie calmly. "I thought it might be useful."

"What?!" asked Ulrich, standing up. "Jeremie, you actually stole her diary? Are you insane?"

"I didn't," said Jeremie. "And whoever did is besides the point. We have it, we're using it."

Ulrich reluctantly sat back down, though fuming at such an invasion.

"How about April 3rd?" asked Jeremie, turning the pages. "Yes, that's a good choice, and I think you remember that day." He began reading aloud. "_I can't believe it. I nearly died because of Jeremie and Aelita! If they hadn't started making out Ulrich wouldn't have surprised me and I wouldn't have choked on a stupid fry! But, then Ulrich saved me. When I could finally breathe I felt his arms wrapped around me, and I felt so warm and safe inside, and...well, I'm starting to sound mushy, but it's true! He's got those gorgeous brown eyes, and that amazing smile, and..._Now we know she thinks you're hot_."_

"Give me that," said Ulrich, skimming over the page. He turned bright red as he glanced at Yumi's perfect handwriting, and knew it wasn't forgery. "She does not think I'm hot, for the record, she was just a little shaken up."

"Right," said Odd sarcastically. "How about December 12th?"

"Oh, yeah," said Jeremie. "Ahem. _Ulrich was so sweet today. His dad was so mad at him for his bad grades this term, and said it was because of his good-for-nothing friends. Especially that one older girl. Ulrich got really angry and started defending all of us, me the most. He said that we were more important than grades, and that we were the best thing to ever happen to him. I'm cleaning up the language a little bit, though. If I talked to my dad like that, I'd be in a convent right now. Still, I didn't know we meant that much to him. He's always so quiet, like he's got something big on his mind, and it's like he always knows whats on my mind, too."_

"She's not serious, is she?" asked Ulrich incredulously. "I've spent hours trying to figure out what she's thinking!"

"Figure it out, Ulrich," said Jeremie. "You're always the first to know something's wrong with her. You're always the one to cheer her up. You're the one she spends the most time with. You have to have some idea of what she's speculating."

"Well, I guess so," said Ulrich thoughtfully.

"So you guess she's hot for your mind, too," said Jean-Baptiste, grinning. Ulrich blushed but didn't reply.

"You should see what else is in here," said Jeremie, gesturing to the diary. "There's a whole entry on just your eyes, and just your soccer game, and just your wedding day. The girl plans ahead, I'll give her that."

"You read the entire diary?" asked Ulrich, shocked.

"No, of course not!" said Jeremie, insulted. "That would be a violation of privacy."

* * *

Yumi smiled, having found Ulrich in the park as planned. He waved, and his cheeks looked a little red, like he was blushing.

"Hey," greeted Yumi. "Ready to spar?"

"Sure," said Ulrich.

The two bowed respectfully to each other and began. Yumi aimed a kick at his chest, but he dodged it. He attempted a blow to her arm, and she skillfully kicked it away. He smirked and grabbed her foot in midair, catching her by surprise and unable to free herself. Until she rammed her foot against his shin and he dropped it.

"Ouch!" yelled Ulrich. Yumi took the opportunity and sent him reeling to the ground, then setting her foot on his stomach as a sign of victory. "Okay, you win!"

"Try again?" asked Yumi, offering her hand. He nodded, and they bowed once more.

Ulrich moved with more agility in this round. Making false tries at punches caught Yumi off guard and confused her, giving him an advantage. She quickly learned his strategy, though. She grabbed both of his hands and tried to push him back, but he didn't give in, and pushed back.

Ulrich looked in her eyes for any show of weakness, and was instead drawn to them. Two beautiful eyes that seemed to show the beginning and the end. His force against her lacked, and Yumi took notice. She stared at him curiously. She met his eyes and stopped struggling, moved by the warmth in them. Their hands, still locked together, dropped down between the two.

Yumi felt him get closer, and in turn did the same. Their foreheads touched, and she pressed her lips against his. Ulrich raised his hand to her chin and deepened it, trembling. Neither of them heard a small _click!_ and continued before parting slowly.

"Um, that was..." Yumi trailed off.

"Yeah," Ulrich agreed. Yumi's watch beeped and they jumped.

"I have to go," said Yumi shyly. "It's time for dinner."

"Yeah," said Ulrich, nodding. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yep," said Yumi, her lips tingling. She waved goodbye and started walking away, and couldn't help but relive that kiss in her mind. She couldn't help but want to feel it again.

**A/N:** Yes, I know this is a short chapter. If my style has changed for the worse, I"m sorry. A word of advice: Breaks stink. I can barely write JxA anymore!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko. I do own a water bottle, though, if anyone cares...Which you don't.

Chapter 5

Yumi was pink in the face as she hurried home. She had _kissed_ Ulrich. Kissed! And he kissed back! It was even better than hugging him!

"Yumi!"

Yumi stopped and groaned, hesitantly pulling her thoughts away from Ulrich and to the present.

"Hi, William," said Yumi, turning around to face him. "Can I help you?"

"Is something the matter?" asked William obliviously. He smiled. "Maybe I can help?"

"No," said Yumi. "Everything is fine."

"Great!" said William. "So, do you wanna hang out or something?"

"I'd rather not," said Yumi, trying to stay polite. "It's time for dinner, anyway."

"Oh," said William disappointedly. "How about afterwards? We could catch a movie or something."

"Well, I've got loads of homework to do, so I don't think so," lied Yumi.

"Me too," said William, shrugging. "Uh, do you mind helping me?"

"Yes!" said Yumi in frustration, and she left.

"Huh?" William was confused, but there was nothing else than to return to his dorm and try again later.

Yumi closed the door behind her as she entered her room, and collapsed on her bed. Her antagonized expression immediately broke out into a grin and she reached for her diary; this definitely called for an entry. Her hand felt only the wood of the shelf the diary was usually placed on.

"Huh?" Yumi stood up and looked around the shelf, but there was no book. She looked in her desk, under her bed, and in her closet. "Hiroki, if you took my diary, so help me I will...Oh."

The diary was in her backpack. Strange, seeing as she never took her diary to school. Yumi was puzzled for only a moment, but remembered what had happened and went into a writing frenzy. The fact that the ink on certain pages was newly smudged and some corners were dog-eared mystified her, but she was too happy to give it much thought.

* * *

"Love you, Mom! Love you, Dad!" yelled out Yumi as she left the house the next morning.

She reached the school within a few minutes. Students began snickering while she passed by, and Yumi guessed Sissi had spread some rumor about her. She held her head up high; why should it bother her? However, as she entered the math hall, she spotted a flyer on the bulletin board, and took a closer look.

Yumi cursed softly and tore it down, then realized that copies were posted all along the wall within a few feet of each other. She continued ripping them all off the wall and shoving them in her bag, blushing darkly.

There was going to be one less pinkette in the world.

* * *

Ulrich rolled his eyes at a joke Odd told him and Jeremie. One of these days he'd have to buy him a joke book. Then he could hear something else than what Kiwi would do to a Sissi covered in dog food or a guy in a canoe that's going to spring a leak.

Something caught Ulrich's eye. A small poster was taped to the classroom wall, it appeared to be a picture. He took a closer look and turned red, snatching it off the wall.

"Jeremie, did you do this?" asked Ulrich angrily, showing him the flyer.

"Me? No," said Jeremie honestly. "_I _didn't."

"Then who did?" asked Ulrich coldly. Odd looked at the picture over Ulrich's shoulder and started laughing.

"So, you finally kissed her!" said Odd loudly, capturing the attention of other kids in the room. It was true, though, there was no denying the image of Yumi and him kissing during their sparring session yesterday.

"Shut up," said Ulrich, balling up the picture. He cast a surveying glance around the room and groaned. "There are _more?"_

"Yep," said Jeremie, nodding. "All over the school."

"I thought you said you didn't do this!" said Ulrich.

"I didn't," said Jeremie. "I've just seen them."

"You are no help whatsoever," said Ulrich, storming out of the room. He didn't care if Ms. Meyer sent him to Delmas, he had to get rid of these before Yumi saw them!

Ulrich found it rather difficult to refrain from flipping off the people in the halls who giggled and whispered. He proceeded to pull the embarrassing posters off the walls until he bumped into someone. He turned around to briefly apologize, but stood dumbstruck instead.

"Oh, hey, Ulrich," said Yumi, stashing the flyers behind her back before he could see. "What's up?"

"Uh, nothing," said Ulrich, shrugging.

"Whatcha got there?" asked Yumi, gesturing to the papers in his hands.

"Uh, nothing," repeated Ulrich, mimicking her and hiding them behind him. "So, um, I wanted to talk to you about yesterday..."

"Oh, yeah," said Yumi numbly. "About that..."

"Did it, ah, mean anything?" asked Ulrich, his face scorching hot.

"Um..." mumbled Yumi. _Come on, Ulrich! _she thought._ Did it? _"I don't know."

"Oh, okay," said Ulrich sheepishly. It was time for a change of subject. "So, what's new?"

"Not much," said Yumi, shrugging. "You?"

"Same," said Ulrich. His fingers clenched around the posters. "Do you want to hang out later? Get an ice cream?"

"Yeah, sure," said Yumi, nodding. "Sounds cool."

"Great," said Ulrich, managing a small smile.

"I supposed I'll see you later," said Yumi, blushing slightly. "I better get going, class and stuff."

"Bye," said Ulrich, walking backwards until she was out of view then tossing the pictures in a wastebasket.

Well, at least he'd get to see her again. And she didn't say anything about the picture, or that kissing him had been the worst experience of her life. As he neared the classroom, he realized that it might be for the best if this remained a secret. What could one ice cream without tips hurt?

* * *

"Jeremie, giving me a camera phone was probably your smartest move yet," said Aelita, pecking him on the cheek. Jeremie blushed and hugged her.

"Lucky you were there when you were," said Jeremie. "All the more humiliation for our students. I've got a feeling it's going to take some time before they crack, though."

"I don't doubt it," said Aelita, sitting next to him on her bed. "They're almost as stubborn as you."

"Hey!" said Jeremie indignantly, wrapping his arm around her waist. "I'll have you know my stubbornness comes from good intentions. Yumi and Ulrich have too much pride."

"Fair enough," said Aelita, smirking. "How exactly are you going to convince Ulrich to go for a new look?"

"I'll find a way," said Jeremie. "I just have to make sure it's a look no one would expect. Any ideas?"

"It's gotta surprise the whole school," said Aelita. "He's already a jock, and I guess he kind of fits the moody teenager frame. Sort of a loner, too. What about a genius? You could definitely help him with that."

"A nerd is not going to turn Yumi on, Aelita," said Jeremie, smiling.

"Why not?" asked Aelita. "It turned me on."

"Aw, you mean it wasn't my great looks?" asked Jeremie jokingly, moving to tickle Aelita behind the neck. She squealed and batted his hand away, then set her head on his shoulder. "Hm, this is a real stumper."

"Wait a minute," said Aelita slowly. "I think I've got it..."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Jeremie inquisitively.

"Yes," said Aelita, nodding eagerly. "Odd could teach him..."

"It's embarrassing if we play it out right..."

"It'll grab her attention..."

"It's perfect!"

Aelita beamed and ensnared her boyfriend in another kiss, pleased with the results for the next plan. Jeremie held her in place by the chin, and was proud of the both of them. Although it wasn't very friendly making their pals squirm, it had to be done.

* * *

"Hey, Yumi," greeted Ulrich. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Me too," said Yumi, grinning. "What flavor are you getting?"

"The usual," said Ulrich.

"Cookies and cream?" asked Yumi. Ulrich nodded.

"And you'll be getting raspberry?" asked Ulrich.

"As always," answered Yumi.

The line shortened and they reached the vendor, and each paid for their own cone. Ulrich would have been only too happy to pay for Yumi, but knew she'd never allow it. Yumi liked to take care of herself, and he wouldn't stop her from that.

"I can't believe how busy Xana's been keeping us lately," said Ulrich while they took seats at a nearby table. "Yesterday was what, his third attack this week?"

"And it's only Wednesday," said Yumi. "It's like taking over the world can't compare to torturing us."

"Yeah, and I bet Jeremie and Aelita are close to collapsing with all the work they put into that computer," said Ulrich.

"Well, I'm sure they find ways to keep each other going, if you know what I mean," said Yumi with a mischievous smile.

"Hard to imagine Einstein a lady's man, though," said Ulrich, laughing. "There was a time when he couldn't even look Aelita in the eye without blushing."

"Not anymore," said Yumi. "Especially if he's confident to make out with her in public."

"Love tends to make it's victims forget the world around them," said Ulrich. "That's what my mom says, anyways."

"Victims?" asked Yumi. "She makes it sound like love is an executioner."

"Maybe she was talking about love lost or something," said Ulrich. "Still, it fits."

"How do you know?" asked Yumi. "Have you ever lost love?"

"I've come close," said Ulrich vaguely. "You?"

"Yep," said Yumi, nodding.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments. They licked their melting ice cream quickly, but not so fast that they would receive a brain freeze. Yumi studied Ulrich's face for a moment, and noticed a smear of ice cream by his mouth.

"Uh, Ulrich, you've got a little," said Yumi, faltering and pointing to her own mouth.

"Oh, thanks," said Ulrich, wiping his hand across his face, but missing the mess completely.

"Here," said Yumi, leaning over with a napkin and cleaning it up. She felt his cheeks heating up and starting blushing. His eyes meekly met hers and she continued cleaning up the long-gone mess, if only to be near him.

Ulrich didn't shrink away like he usually would, but felt himself moving closer. He knew there wasn't any ice cream on his face anymore, but didn't really care, either. He reached his hand out to brush a stray lock of raven hair out of her face, and was glad when she didn't recoil. They stayed in that position, inches apart from each other over the table, for a couple minutes and were attracting stares from passing people.

Very slowly Ulrich brought his hand from her hair to her chin and pulled her face towards him, waiting for any sign of resistance. When none came he took a deep breath and kissed her. Yumi dropped the napkin and took his face in her hands. Ulrich held her by the shoulders, her scent overwhelming him. His nerves were instantly put at ease; kissing Yumi felt as natural as breathing.

"Excuse me, sir, you and your girlfriend need to take it outside."

The two jerked back from each other and looked up at the source of the noise. The store manager was frowning at them and pointing to the exit. Ulrich and Yumi muttered a quick apology and left the building swiftly, bright red in the face.

"Um, uh," stammered Ulrich, trying to find the right words. "Thanks."

"Oh, sure, no problem," said Yumi, staring at the ground. "That was..."

"Yeah," agreed Ulrich, nodding and swallowing hard.

"Nice," finished Yumi lamely. "It was nice." Aelita would kill her if she found out what she had just said.

"Yeah," repeated Ulrich. "Was there anything that time?"

"You know what?" asked Yumi, smiling. "I think there was."

Ulrich's heart stopped for a second. Was she going to say it? What should he do now? Kiss her again? No, that was too forward. Spill his feelings? What if she didn't return them? He had to make sure.

"So, where does that leave us?" asked Ulrich slowly.

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Yumi quietly. "I mean, we're just friends, right?"

"Well, yes," said Ulrich, biting his lip. "But..."

"Maybe I should go," said Yumi. "Give us some time to think, you know?"

"Maybe," said Ulrich. It was better than nothing. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

Yumi nodded and started leaving, then hesitated. She turned back to him and kissed him on the cheek, then waved and left. Now he had something to think about. Ulrich felt his cheek with his hand and blushed more, and then returned to Kadic, where he found all of his teachers waiting for him.

"Hey, Ulrich!" said Odd brightly. "Where've you been?"

"Oh, around," said Ulrich, shrugging. He flopped down on his bed. "What have you got for me now?"

"We're gonna give you a new personality," said Jeremie pleasantly. "Don't worry, Yumi will be all yours afterwards."

"Okay," said Ulrich, sighing.

"Really?" asked Theo confusedly. "I thought you'd be more reluctant to change."

"Life goes on," said Ulrich carelessly. "I've got a lot to think about. Go on, tell me more about it."

"Okay, then," said Jean-Baptiste. "Here's the plan..."

Ulrich nodded, half listening and half dreaming. Tomorrow there were two options. He could become the happiest man in the world, or the emptiest. And his fate rested in the hands of the most perfect girl in existence, and his best friend. But no pressure, right?


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko.

Chapter 6

Yumi kicked the foot of her bed as hard as she could, stubbing her toe in the process. "Damn it!" she yelled, grabbing her foot. "Aelita's been here for a few months and she's better at figuring out this love crap than I am!"

She collapsed on the bed while her foot throbbed, grinding her teeth and hoping some kind of solution would come to her. Ulrich wanted an answer tomorrow. That didn't mean he liked her as anything more than a friend. Just like the fact that he kissed her didn't mean he liked her as more than a friend. Yumi took a pillow and screamed into it. Everything he did confused her! Why couldn't things just be simpler?

If she lied and said being friends was all she wanted, things wouldn't get better or worse. Unless, if it turned out Ulrich really did like her, then she'd end up breaking his heart, which was the very last thing she wanted to do. But if he didn't care for her that way, there'd be no awkwardness and everything would be out in the open. Well, as far as he knew.

But, if she told the truth, he could shoot her down and never talk to her again. On the other hand, wasn't he always showing her how much he liked her? He walked her home, he blushed when they even got near the subject of romance while talking, and _he_ was the one who started the ice cream kiss. So, what could it hurt in telling him?

"Okay, Yumi, what's more important?" Yumi asked herself. "Friendship or true love?"

When she put it that way, it was obvious. Ulrich was anything but obvious, though. She had the guts to tell him, and she wasn't ashamed of it, but what if he only liked her because she was so independent? What if admitting her feelings meant that she'd look too needy? But the truth was, she _did_ need Ulrich. There was no way she could've survived Xana, Sissi, and the constant fighting of her parents if it weren't for him. Ulrich made Yumi forget her problems with a simple smile or nod.

Yumi then decided that there was no point in prodding every minute they spent together for an answer. Perhaps it would come to her in the morning. With a short sigh of defeat, she turned off the light and crawled under the covers. She whispered a short prayer then allowed slumber to consume her.

* * *

"Come on, Ulrich, run through it one more time," said Odd.

"Can we please stop tonight?" asked Ulrich with aggravation. "My fingers are bleeding!"

"Oh, let a little blood get in the way of love," said Odd sarcastically. "Don't be a baby!"

"You've been playing this stupid thing for years," said Ulrich. "Cut me some slack!"

"Hey, the very first day I got this I strummed my fingers to the bone," said Odd, punching him in the shoulder. "And I've got the scars to prove it! But fine, let's go over the lyrics."

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" asked Ulrich.

"Nope," said Odd brightly. "Now get back to work!"

* * *

"Hey, Yumi," said Ulrich the next morning. "Um, get a good night's sleep?"

"Yeah," said Yumi as she approached the school gates. "Are you okay?" she asked, gesturing to the many Band-Aids applied to his fingers.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," said Ulrich, shrugging. "So, um..."

"I guess we need to talk," said Yumi, swallowing hard. "You first."

Ulrich smirked. "Gee, thanks," He said. "Well, uh..."

"Ulrich, I'll understand," said Yumi, bracing herself.

"Okay," said Ulrich. "I--"

His phone vibrated in his pocket. Ulrich pulled it out and saw a text message. He groaned.

"I'm really sorry, but I have to go," said Ulrich. The last time he was late for a lesson his mentors made him kiss Kiwi. That was when they were in a good mood.

"Oh," said Yumi. "So, I guess we're just friends?"

Ulrich paused. He really wanted to let her know. Actually, he needed to let her know. He had to settle for a cross between a twitch and a shake of the head.

"Can we talk later?" pleaded Ulrich. Yumi nodded. "Great, bye."

"Bye," said Yumi quietly.

* * *

Ulrich sat alone in the cafeteria, his left hand in a bowl of ice. The only reason he was called for the lesson was to rehearse. Was it going to get worse after this plan? If it did, he didn't know how long he was going to be able to keep up.

Maybe it was time for him to ignore his pride and just spill it. After all, Yumi seemed eager to talk to him, and she wouldn't be eager to break his heart. She was still his friend, and she wasn't that cruel.

Ulrich took out his cell phone and sighed deeply. "Here goes," he mumbled. He selected the text message option, then Yumi's number.

I LOVE Y--

"Ulrich?"

Ulrich dropped the cell phone, startled. "Oh, hey, Aelita," Ulrich greeted, smiling a little.

"What's with the ice?" asked Aelita, sitting opposite him.

"I'm trying to figure out the guitar," explained Ulrich.

"How often are you practicing?" asked Aelita, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing under six hours at a time," said Ulrich dryly.

"Maybe toning it down a notch would help," suggested Aelita. She glanced at the cell phone and frowned. "Can I see your mobile for a second?"

"Um, I don't--" started Ulrich. Aelita grabbed it before he finished.

"Ulrich," said Aelita slowly. "I cannot believe you."

"What?" asked Ulrich defensively. Aelita stood up and hit him with the phone three times on the head. "Hey, cut it out, Aelita! What's your problem?"

"My problem?" asked Aelita, throwing the mobile on the table. "Ulrich, I thought you were smarter than that! Don't you know Yumi at all?"

"Apparently not if I deserve a beating," said Ulrich grouchily.

"You really think Yumi wants to hear this via text message?" asked Aelita incredulously. "This is something to tell her in person!"

"Aelita, no offense, but this is really none of your business," said Ulrich, shoving the phone in his pocket.

"It is now," said Aelita, sitting back down. "You need help."

"How so?" asked Ulrich.

"Okay, just between you and me," said Aelita, beckoning him closer. "I know about the teachers."

"Let me guess, Jeremie told you?" asked Ulrich.

"I helped him set it up," replied Aelita. "But it's obvious you need a girl's point of view."

"It's nice of you to offer, but I don't need another school," said Ulrich.

"Just in case you have any questions," said Aelita. "Look, I love Jeremie with every fiber of my being, and I don't know what I'd do without him, but let's be honest. Romance isn't his strong point. And Odd has plenty of experience with dating, but how many of his relationships lasted more than two weeks? I want to help."

"Swear you won't tell Yumi?" asked Ulrich hesitantly.

"Swear," promised Aelita. Ulrich nodded.

"Does she like me?" asked Ulrich. "Has she said anything?"

"No," said Aelita gravely. Ulrich sighed. "She _loves _you."

"So, what am I supposed to do now?" asked Ulrich after a few minutes of letting it sink in.

"Tell her," said Aelita. "You know it could be over for any one of us at any second thanks to Xana. You've wasted too much time as it is."

"You're right," said Ulrich. But he had to make sure. "Did she tell you in exact words that she loves me?"

"Yes," said Aelita. "And she blushes every time. She means it."

"So, she's not into William or anything?" asked Ulrich.

"I've heard her praying that he'd accidently fall into a bottomless pit lately, if that's any inclination," said Aelita, smirking.

"How am I supposed to tell her?" asked Ulrich. "Do I take her to a candlelit dinner or something?"

"Be yourself," said Aelita. "At least _you _have the option."

"What do you mean?" asked Ulrich.

"Just that Jeremie and I weren't in a location of choice when it happened to us," said Aelita. "Not that I have any regrets. You could prepare a speech and practice it at every moment for when you'll tell her, but it wouldn't be as good as if you told her from your heart."

"Yeah, that's not cliché at all," said Ulrich. "I get it. Thanks."

"Any time," said Aelita. "But do it soon. Otherwise it might get worse."

"What might get worse?" asked Ulrich.

"You'll see," said Aelita vaguely, standing up again. "We better get to Hertz soon."

"Hey, Aelita?" said Ulrich. "Can you get Yumi to come by the courtyard at lunch?"

"Sure," said Aelita, grinning. "She'll be hooked on every note."

* * *

"Time for lunch!" said Odd cheerfully. "You know what that means, Ulrich!"

"Yeah," said Ulrich, his hand throbbing at the thought. "I hope that practice was worth it."

"Don't let your nerves get the best of you," warned Jeremie.

"You know, I don't remember ever making you go through something like this for Aelita," said Ulrich.

"It's one song," said Jeremie. "It'll be over in a few minutes."

"Fine," said Ulrich. "Odd, you have the guitar, right?"

"Right here, buddy," said Odd, handing over the case.

"This had better work," said Ulrich, walking out to the courtyard.

He found a bench in the middle of the area and sat down. He reluctantly brought out the instrument and practiced a few chords, capturing the attention of surrounding students. Everyone liked a musician at Kadic. In a couple of seconds he spotted Aelita bringing Yumi over and inhaled deeply.

"Hey, Ulrich," said Yumi, catching him by surprise and sitting down next to him. "I didn't know you play."

"I'm sort of a beginner," said Ulrich.

"Can you play something for me?" asked Yumi.

"If you want," said Ulrich. He cleared his throat and tried to shake away his anxiety.

_The pretty girl right next to me_

_Is always on my mind_

_And I know for certain_

_That there is no rarer find_

_But for some reason she won't know_

_How much she means to me_

_My heart is locked up like a box_

_And she has the only key_

_The words just haven't come_

_My aim isn't to look dumb_

_I don't want her facing life alone_

_That day she caught my eye_

_I begged her to come by_

_Now I jump when she calls me on my phone_

_Someday I'll find the courage_

_I'll tell her my love is true_

_Until then I will have to wait_

_It's worth it, just for you_

Yumi blushed, and was all too aware of the other girls around them giggling, all hoping he was directing the song to them.

"Did you write that for anyone in particular?" asked Yumi.

"Maybe," said Ulrich, grinning. "What do you think?"

"Really good," said Yumi, nodding. "I didn't know you could sing, either."

"I'm a guy of many talents," said Ulrich jokingly.

"That was really beautiful," said Yumi. "I think any girl would be lucky to have that sung to her."

"So?" asked Ulrich. "Do you feel lucky?"

"What are you trying to say?" asked Yumi hopefully.

"Nothing," said Ulrich with a shrug. "Wanna go grab some lunch?"

"Yeah," said Yumi, getting to her feet. Ulrich held the door open for her and gave the guitar back to Odd. One plan endured. He wasn't looking forward to facing the next one.

* * *

Aelita wished the Boys' Dorm Level wasn't so cold at night. She had just finished saying goodnight to Jeremie after a long night of research on the antivirus.

She stopped suddenly. Something wasn't right. Was it Xana? Jeremie hadn't detected an activated tower, but the virus had a knack for being sneaky.

"Hey there," said a voice. Aelita gulped.

"Hello," said Aelita, nodding to her classmate in acknowledgment.

"Aelita, I think we got off on the wrong foot," said Theo, stepping forward out of the shadows. "Can we talk? Clear the air?"

_Say no, say no, say no!_ Aelita thought to herself.

"I don't think there's anything to talk about, Theo," said Aelita.

"Just a few minutes of your time, that's all I'm asking," said Theo. Aelita thought carefully, and her forgiving nature won in the end.

"Fine," said Aelita. "You've got five minutes."

"That's all I need," said Theo, beaming. His smile made her want to be anywhere but here, but she stayed put.

She hoped it wouldn't be a mistake.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko.

Chapter 7

Yumi found that she couldn't get Ulrich's lyrics out of her head. She thought he was sweet for trying so hard to learn an instrument, but was angry at him for coming so close to admitting his feelings then backing away.

One thing was for certain, though. He did like her, if only a little bit more than friends. Whenever he could look up from his hands he stared at her, and no one else. And all the kissing they'd been doing lately had to mean something, whether he'd say it or not.

"Hi, guys," said Yumi, walking into Naomi's dorm. "Where's your leader?"

"Aelita?" asked Emily. Yumi nodded. "She called and said she was sick or something."

"She was fine last night," said Yumi, her eyes narrowing. If Aelita was sick, Xana had better not attack. "What is it? Just a cold or something, right?"

"She didn't say," said Emily. "Aelita wants us to continue with you, though."

Yumi grudgingly sat down on a chair and listened to the endless lectures. She was more concerned about her friend. It would be Aelita's first time being ill, and she wouldn't know what to do. Jeremie fretting over her at every second wouldn't be of much help, either.

* * *

Ulrich woke up to find most of his teachers in his room.

"Could you at least wait until I'm dressed before you start nagging me?" asked Ulrich, throwing a pillow at one of them; who, he didn't know.

"Would kissing Kiwi help you wake up?" offered Bastien.

"I'm up, I'm up," groaned Ulrich, forcing himself to sit up. He looked around for a few seconds. "Where's Jeremie and Theo? Oh, crap."

"Yeah," said Odd, nodding sadly.

"He didn't..." said Ulrich. The rest of the mentors nodded with Odd. "Even after what Jeremie...?"

"We'll tell you what happened," said Thomas. "Jeremie filled us in. But just so you know, Theo's been fired."

* * *

Class was over in time for breakfast. Yumi gaped when she sat down. Odd had barely touched his food.

"Does anyone have a camera?" joked Yumi. Odd managed a tiny smile and took a bite of his cereal. "What's up, Odd? Have all those extra servings caught up with you?"

"I'm just not very hungry," said Odd. "When I found out about Aelita and Theo, I lost my appetite."

"What happened with Aelita and Theo?" asked Yumi darkly.

"Morning, everyone," said Ulrich, sitting down next to Yumi. "What are you doing here, Yumi? Aren't you usually at your parents' house?"

"I had to be here before school, so I'm grabbing breakfast, too," explained Yumi. "Ulrich, what happened with Aelita and Theo?"

"She hasn't told you?" asked Ulrich.

"She told me she was sick and wouldn't be coming to school," said Yumi. "Tell me what happened."

"Let's go somewhere where we won't be overheard," said Ulrich. "Somehow it's a secret from the rest of the school, and it's not something I want to get out."

The only close safe place he could think of was his room. He sat her down on the bed and paced back and forth, trying to find some way to tell her without getting her angry. Unfortunately, there was no way.

"Last night when Aelita was leaving Jeremie's room, she ran into Theo," Ulrich started. "He said he wanted to talk so they wouldn't have any bad blood or something. At first she said no, but then Theo pleaded with her and Aelita agreed."

"And she was alone?" asked Yumi.

"Yes," answered Ulrich. "They started walking down the hall, and Theo started apologizing, and complimenting her and Jeremie as a couple. Then he just said nice things about her. And then they were at his dorm."

"She didn't go in, did she?" asked Yumi worriedly.

"He asked her to, but Aelita turned him down," said Ulrich, smiling. It faded just as swiftly as it came. "So he kissed her."

"Just like that?" asked Yumi, frowning. "She said no and he kissed her? Tell me she slapped him or something."

"He was holding her arms in a death grip and stepping on her feet," Ulrich told her. "She had to settle for spitting in his mouth."

"Did it work?" asked Yumi, a little disgusted.

"He pulled back in surprise," answered Ulrich. "Aelita spat in his eye."

"That sounds like her," said Yumi proudly.

"He still didn't let her go, though," continued. "He said he was going to tell Jeremie that she kissed him if she didn't do what he said."

"That_..._that..." Yumi couldn't find the right words, so instead yelled furiously furiously, "Jeremie wouldn't believe that!"

"They don't hold the record for longest couple in love, Yumi," said Ulrich. "Aelita doesn't want to lose Jeremie, and she'd do anything to keep him."

"So then what?" asked Yumi, a little afraid to find out.

"Then Theo started putting his hands wherever he could on her," said Ulrich. "She went berserk."

"Paint a picture for me," said Yumi, smiling at the thought of Theo in pain.

"Since he wasn't holding her arms anymore she punched him in the neck," said Ulrich.

"Atta girl," said Yumi, grinning.

"Then he slapped her in the face," said Ulrich numbly. "They didn't realize it, but they were making quite a bit of noise. Not enough to wake anyone, but to attract the attention of someone still up at two in the morning."

"Good," said Yumi, getting the drift.

"Finally, Jeremie's stubbornness comes in handy," said Ulrich. "Even though Aelita told him to go to bed, he stayed up. He heard Aelita cry out when Theo smacked her and was out in an instant. When he found them he had Theo tackled down in a few seconds. Then he told Aelita to look away."

"That's definitely Jeremie," said Yumi, nodding.

"Even when Theo was just a bloody mess on the floor Jeremie didn't stop hitting him," said Ulrich. "Einstein knew what Theo was after, and had every intent on killing him. But he didn't. Not with Aelita right there."

"You mean that son of a bitch is still alive?" asked Yumi, seething. "If Jeremie didn't kill him I will!"

"Do you want to get expelled like Theo?" asked Ulrich, setting a hand on her shoulder.

"He got expelled?" asked Yumi blankly.

"Delmas was up late too, I guess," said Ulrich. "He heard the fighting and brought Nurse Yolande with him. She carried Theo to the office and Jeremie and Aelita followed. Theo's been expelled. His parents were notified, and said they wanted to take him out anyway. Theo told them he asked a girl out for pizza and her boyfriend who was quarterback on the football team beat him up."

"That lying little jackass!" yelled Yumi.

"At least he's gone," said Ulrich. "He's moving to America. Aelita was given today out of classes to calm down, and Jeremie has detention for a week for fighting."

"Jeremie gets punished for saving Aelita?" asked Yumi. "That's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair," said Ulrich. "Jeremie was happy to take the detentions if it meant Theo would be gone."

"Is Theo gone already?" asked Yumi.

"His mom picked him up," said Ulrich. "Aelita's in her dorm and Jeremie's with her. Everything is going to be fine."

"I hate him," spat Yumi. "I hate him!"

"We all do," assured Ulrich. "Aelita has Jeremie, she'll be fine. She's got someone to rely on."

"If something like this happened to me...can I rely on you?" asked Yumi sheepishly.

"If something like this happened to you I'd make sure whoever did it was dead by now," said Ulrich, tentatively laying his hand on hers. "Yeah, you can count on me, Yumes."

Yumi blushed. She couldn't believe he still remembered that nickname he gave her. She pulled him into a hug without thinking, but didn't mind when he hugged back. He was right. Things would be okay.

* * *

Aelita heard a soft snore and glanced up at Jeremie again. He had dozed off. She squeezed him tightly. She wasn't mad at him for falling asleep, although she knew he would be when he woke up. He had stayed up with her all night and all morning. He deserved an afternoon nap.

Jeremie suddenly jerked awake. Aelita kissed his cheek and set her head on his chest, still deep in thought.

"How long was I asleep?" asked Jeremie quietly.

"Just a few minutes," answered Aelita.

"Sorry," said Jeremie. Aelita hugged him closer.

"No, I'm sorry," said Aelita. "I was being stupid."

"You were giving him the benefit of the doubt," said Jeremie, running his fingers through her hair. "But you have to know that not everyone deserves it."

"You know I would never cheat on you, right?" asked Aelita nervously.

"Of course I do," said Jeremie lovingly. "I trusted Theo about as far as I could throw him."

"It looked like you could throw him pretty far last night," said Aelita.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," said Jeremie. "It's just...he wanted something from you and tried to steal it. I couldn't let that happen."

"Because you're my boyfriend?" asked Aelita, smiling.

"And because I'm your friend," said Jeremie, stroking her face. She winced as he touched the bruise on her cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Not yet," said Aelita. She smiled bravely. "But I will be. You didn't have to skip all of your classes to stay with me."

"I already know the material," said Jeremie, shrugging. "And even if I didn't, you're more important."

"Jeremie, thank you," whispered Aelita, burying herself in him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Princess," said Jeremie. "Someday you'll forget all about this. You're safe now."

Aelita soon fell asleep in his arms, thoroughly exhausted. Jeremie didn't stop holding her, and didn't dare think of how much he loathed Theo. What mattered now more than anything, more than Xana or Lyoko or anything else, was that the person he loved most in the world was hurt. Jeremie kissed her mouth gently and allowed himself to doze off again.

* * *

"Aelita? How do you feel?" asked Yumi, visiting her friend's dorm. "I thought Jeremie would be here."

"I made him go get some dinner, seeing as he skipped breakfast and lunch," said Aelita. "I've been better, thanks."

"We never thought something like this would happen to you," said Yumi, giving Aelita a one-armed hug.

"He's gone now, though, so we can get our focus back on Xana," said Aelita.

"You don't have to be so practical," said Yumi.

"I've been moping all day, it's time to move on," said Aelita.

"Aelita, no one is forcing you to hold it all in," said Yumi. "Are you trying to be strong for Jeremie?"

"That's partly it," said Aelita. "I just don't like thinking about it, because then I feel like it's my fault and the guilt sinks in."

"How could this be your fault?" asked Yumi, confused. "There are always going to be creeps like Theo out there, and you can't control it. But we're gonna be here for you."

"Thanks," said Aelita.

"Dinner's almost over, so I'll go," said Yumi. "My mom's gonna kill me if I'm late."

Aelita nodded and Yumi left the room. On her way out she saw Ulrich walking to his room.

"Hi, Yumi," said Ulrich, waving. "Heading home?"

"Yeah," said Yumi.

"Would...you like an escort home?" asked Ulrich slowly. "The last time a girl was walking alone at night it didn't turn out well."

"Sure," chirped Yumi.

"Great," said Ulrich. "And maybe we could finally have that talk?"

"I think we should," said Yumi. They stepped out into the cool evening air and an awkward silence settled over them. So much for a great talk.

"Hey, Yumi, have you ever thought of us as being...you know, a couple?" asked Ulrich, trying to break the ice.

"Well, yeah," admitted Yumi. "We've been friends for so long, and we've been through so much."

"I know," said Ulrich. "And you're really pretty, and smart, and you've saved my butt more times than I can keep count on Lyoko."

"There's only one way to find out if there's something between us," said Yumi, biting her lip.

Ulrich took a deep breath and pressed his lips against hers. Tingles ran up and down his spine and he slipped his arms around her waist. Yumi pulled him closer by the neck, elation surging through her. She ran a finger over his warm cheek, and he trembled. Ulrich took her face in his hands and didn't end the kiss until air was absolutely essential.

"Wow," murmured Yumi, covering his hands with hers and basking in their warmth. "Any sparks?"

"Fireworks," said Ulrich, leaning in closer. "You?"

"Fireworks," agreed Yumi, pulling him into another kiss. She felt like she was standing on air!

"So, if you feel something, and if I feel something, maybe we could, um," mumbled Ulrich, his confidence fading fast.

"Spit it out," Yumi egged him on.

"Go steady?" blurted out Ulrich.

"Yes!" said Yumi, unable to refrain from shouting.

"Really?" Ulrich tried to make sure he hadn't misheard her.

Yumi kissed him again, this time breathing for a quick second before continuing. Ulrich was certain that he had heard correctly.

"I guess you're my..." Ulrich faltered.

"Girlfriend," finished Yumi. "That's good, right?"

"It's fantastic," said Ulrich quickly. "I'm just sort of shocked. I was hoping for this for a really long time, and now it's happened. I don't know what to say."

"Me too," said Yumi. "I'm happy, though."

"So am I," said Ulrich. "I guess we're here."

Yumi looked around and saw that they'd been standing in front of her house. "Oh, thanks," said Yumi bashfully.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" said Ulrich nervously. Yumi nodded and pecked him on the cheek.

Ulrich watched her wave goodbye and shut the door, and a feeling of accomplishment welled up inside of him. It took a great deal of self-control not to whoop for joy. His prayers were answered!

"I'll see You on Sunday," said Ulrich, looking up at the sky. He whipped out his cell phone and dialed his smartest friend. "Hey, Jeremie, it happened!"

"What happened?" asked Jeremie.

"Yumi and me, we're going out!" said Ulrich. It was like killing two birds with one stone: He had the greatest girlfriend, and he was out of those torturous lessons.

"You told her you love her?" asked Jeremie.

"And we kissed!" said Ulrich.

"And you told her you love her?" repeated Jeremie.

"She's finally my girlfriend!" said Ulrich.

"Did you tell her you love her?" asked Jeremie impatiently. Ulrich groaned.

"I didn't quite get around to it," confessed Ulrich.

"Not good enough," said Jeremie sternly. Ulrich swore loudly. "And you kissed Yumi with that mouth?"

**A/N: **Before anyone asks, yes, this is what I call minor JxA, because I can't get a good feel for UxY to save my soul, thus proving sequels are never as good as the original.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko.

Chapter 8

"What do you mean not good enough?" yelled Ulrich.

"I mean that you didn't tell her the whole truth," explained Jeremie.

"I was going to, but it was a lot to take in!" defended Ulrich.

"So you're saying you're totally satisfied with the way things are now?" asked Jeremie inquisitively.

"I-I..." stammered Ulrich. He was happy, but he felt like there was something missing. He wasn't about to admit that to Jeremie, though. "Yes, I am."

"I know you're lying," said Jeremie.

"Fine," growled Ulrich. "Am I supposed to climb up to her window and tell her?"

"If you want her father to kill you, go ahead," said Jeremie. "It's a pretty tragic way to end a beautiful relationship, though."

"Says the guy who has nothing to fear from his girlfriend's parents," retorted Ulrich.

"If you don't take care of this, I will," said Jeremie cryptically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ulrich.

"Do yourself a favor and get a good night's sleep," said Jeremie. He ended the call, infuriating Ulrich.

"Thanks for the help, Einstein," said Ulrich, shoving the mobile in his phone.

* * *

"It's progress," commented Aelita as Jeremie hung up on Ulrich.

"Definitely," said Jeremie, nodding. "I think if the new couple had their first official fight, it might speed things along."

"It's awfully risky," said Aelita.

"They fight all the time, the only difference now is that they'll kiss when they make up," said Jeremie.

"Jeremie, we never had a fight as a couple before," observed Aelita.

"We haven't had anything to fight about," Jeremie pointed out.

"Yes we do," said Aelita. "We usually have different opinions about what's best to do on Lyoko, or the key to the antivirus, and I was positive you'd be mad after what happened with Theo. And people bet all the time which one of us is going to come out with the better grades at the end of the school year. So why don't we ever fight?"

"Are you asking me to fight with you?" asked Jeremie.

"No, I'm confused," said Aelita. "I thought couples were supposed to fight with each other."

"It's not necessary," said Jeremie. "Remember the fights we had before we got together? What brought those on?"

"It was usually you were being too protective of me," answered Aelita. "Our last fight was because of those dumb fake valentines."

"I'm protective of you because I love you," said Jeremie. "I was jealous because I love you. The reason I try to avoid fighting with you is because I love you."

"Yumi and Ulrich love each other, and they still fight," said Aelita.

"Every couple is different, Aelita," said Jeremie, holding her face. "And they all sort out their problems in their own way. Ulrich and Yumi might need to yell to get their feelings out before they can talk."

"How are we going to sort out our problems?" asked Aelita curiously.

"I'm not sure," said Jeremie. "Today I just wanted to hold you until you felt better."

"I wouldn't mind if that was our way," said Aelita, smiling. Jeremie grinned and kissed her cheek.

"I love your smile," Jeremie told her, causing her to blush. "But you know, if we fight, you might not want me to hold you."

"I bet I will," said Aelita.

"Are you willing to back up that bet?" asked Jeremie, smirking. "What are the stakes?"

"Loser has to..." started Aelita, and she beamed widely. "Go with the winner to Lyoko."

"Aelita!" said Jeremie.

"What?" asked Aelita innocently.

"Either way I lose," grumbled Jeremie.

"Either way you're getting a kiss," promised Aelita. "Jeremie, I think we should leave Yumi and Ulrich alone."

"What do you mean?" asked Jeremie, startled. "We've already got them dating!"

"And we should let them try it out," said Aelita. "If they're meant for each other, they'll work it out."

"Aelita, we worked hard putting this all together," said Jeremie, bewildered at her sudden change of mind.

"And we hardly have any time for each other," said Aelita. "Don't you want to spend more time with me?"

"You know I want more time with you, Aelita, but it's important for us to help our friends," said Jeremie.

"Okay, you're right," said Aelita brightly. "I win."

"What are you talking about?" asked Jeremie.

"We just argued," said Aelita. "It was polite, and it was short, but it was an argument none the less, and I'm happy to be in your arms. How does tomorrow afternoon work for you?"

Jeremie opened his mouth to debate with her, but shook his head and closed it. She'd probably get him to go to Lyoko twice for it. She'd had a hard day, and one short trip to a virtual world couldn't hurt.

"Just don't laugh when you see me on Lyoko, okay?" asked Jeremie pleadingly. Aelita nodded, thrilled that he had actually agreed. "I'll take my kiss now."

* * *

Ulrich never knew what it was like to feel equal amounts of rage and happiness at the same time, until now. He was severely pissed at Jeremie, but felt fortunate that he was now going out with Yumi. It was somewhat confusing, trying to experience both at the same time, so he decided just to focus on the latter.

He saw a blur of pink out of the corner of his eye. Aelita was walking back to her room. He frowned when it looked like she was alone, but his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw Jeremie escorting her.

Ulrich jogged to catch up with them and set his hand on Aelita's shoulder. She spun around, and when she saw him she jerked away.

"Aelita, it's Ulrich!" said Ulrich.

"Oh, sorry," said Aelita. "It's just the brown hair, and you're the same height..."

"Jer, can I borrow your girlfriend for a few minutes?" asked Ulrich uncomfortably. The genius glanced at Aelita, who nodded, and he did the same.

"What's up, Ulrich?" asked Aelita.

"You probably know about Yumi and me," started Ulrich.

"And I'm very happy for you," said Aelita.

"And Jeremie is being really stingy about the fact that I didn't say the words 'I love you,'" said Ulrich.

"Well, you're supposed to tell her," said Aelita.

"I know, but am I supposed to wait and see how much Yumi likes me, or do I blurt it out the next time I see her?" asked Ulrich.

"I told you, just be yourself," reminded Aelita. "You know how much she likes you, she loves you."

"Has she said anything?" asked Ulrich.

"No," lied Aelita. Yumi had called shortly after Ulrich did, and was blaming herself for not saying what he didn't. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid, I'm just...scared," finished Ulrich lamely. "I can wipe out a swarm of hornets, but I can't tell my girlfriend I love her."

"That's because she's not just any girl," said Aelita kindly. "Yumi is your dream girl. And I think you're scared that if you lose her in the future, it's going to hurt a lot more because you confessed. Right?"

"How did you figure that out?" asked Ulrich, taken aback.

"I might not be completely human, but I can feel emotion," said Aelita, smirking.

"Sorry," said Ulrich sheepishly. "So I should just forget what might happen and tell her?"

"Make sure it's special," said Aelita. "It's a moment she'll always remember."

"You really know how to make a guy feel better," said Ulrich, scowling.

"I'm sure you'll find a way to make it perfect," said Aelita. "But if you don't, we will."

"What does that even mean?" asked Ulrich.

"Sleep on it," said Aelita, giving him a friendly pat on the back. "You'll need the energy."

"You're just as bad as Jeremie," mumbled Ulrich.

"Goodnight," said Aelita, turning on her heel and returning to her waiting boyfriend.

* * *

Jeremie stopped when he saw a black-haired boy going to his next class. Time to start that first couple fight. Aelita noticed him hesitate and gave him a kiss on the cheek for good luck, then leaving him to hurry to gym class.

"Hey, William," called out Jeremie, stepping towards Ulrich's rival.

"Oh, hey, Jeremie," said William, nodding to him. "How's it working out with Aelita?"

"It's great, thanks," answered Jeremie. "Can I ask you for a small favor, though?"

"Uh, sure," said William.

"Okay, you see that girl over there?" asked Jeremie, pointing at the end of the hallway. William smiled.

"Yeah," said William coolly.

"Good, I need you to..." Jeremie lowered his voice to finish instructing his old teacher. If Ulrich ever heard him asking this, Jeremie would have to flee the country.

"I can do that," said William, already moving to the end of the hall.

"No, not now," said Jeremie. "Do it right after fifth period, while she's still in the classroom."

"Okay," said William. He grinned. "No problem."

"And this conversation never happened," said Jeremie. "Got it?"

"Whatever you say," said William proudly.

* * *

Odd had stared at Yumi and Ulrich for the last few minutes, and still couldn't get over his surprise. Ulrich had told him in detail about last night, but they were acting like nothing had happened at all. They had hardly said three words to each other, and rarely made eye contact.

"Okay, what is going on?" Odd finally broke down.

"What do you mean?" asked Ulrich, looking up from his lunch.

"You guys are boyfriend and girlfriend, start acting like it!" said Odd.

"Yumi, do you have a problem with the way things are right now?" asked Ulrich.

"No," lied Yumi.

"Then neither do I," said Ulrich, glaring at Odd.

"Don't tell me you're shy," said Odd, rolling his eyes. "I've got the shyest couple in France sitting at my left sucking face like it's the only way they can get oxygen."

Jeremie, too preoccupied to make a retort, took careful aim and flicked Odd in the head. Yumi laughed and Ulrich chuckled. She set her hand on the table, touching his fingers on accident. He enclosed them around her hand, giving her a smile that warmed her from the inside out.

"Come on, you can do better than that," said Odd teasingly.

Yumi cautiously moved for his lips. It wasn't that she was shy or embarrassed. She was waiting for him to make the first move, which wasn't really in her nature. Yumi had this fear that if she kissed him, or made any attempts at romance, he'd see that it wasn't just a liking to him, but love. And if he only liked her as a girlfriend, then he'd get intimidated and leave.

"That's more like it," said Odd. Then he realized that his friends all had better things to do than laugh at his jokes, and he sighed, deciding to make the best of it. "Well, if you aren't going to eat, I might as well take those portions off your hands."

* * *

Ulrich heard Odd cheer as the most boring class of the day, history, reached its end.

"Ulrich, why don't you go see Yumi?" suggested Jeremie. "Her class is right next door, and it'll be the first time you've seen her since lunch."

"Yeah," said Ulrich, nodding. "I'll meet up with you guys later."

Ulrich grabbed his bag and threw his books in, then exited the room. He pushed his way through the mob of students, and saw Yumi packing her things, while being harassed by William at the same time. Ulrich frowned, but knew envy wasn't going to get the best of him this time. He kept that in his mind, but forgot it when William pushed a forceful kiss on the Japanese beauty.

He wanted to yell. He wanted to copy Jeremie and leave like the first time Theo messed with Aelita, and get away from it all. But he wasn't Jeremie. He wasn't letting some punk stand in the way of him and Perfection.

He strode over to the two, one trying to deepen the kiss, the other struggling against it, and tapped William on the shoulder.

"Hey, William," said Ulrich. William straightened up, pink in the face and not expecting to be interrupted.

"What do you want?" sneered William. Yumi took the chance to space herself from her enemy.

"You know, usually when someone hits on my girlfriend, I feel like breaking every bone in his body," said Ulrich, his tone oddly cheerful.

"Just try, I dare you," said William. The attempt to domineer over Ulrich was lessened by the fact that Ulrich was now taller than him, thanks to the growth spurt he had while Yumi was on vacation.

"Oh, no, you misunderstand me, my friend," said Ulrich. "Not you, you're special. If it was any other guy, I would personally make sure he was out cold and bleeding in various areas."

"What are you trying to say?" asked William. Ulrich averted his gaze to Yumi for a brief instant, as if giving her a silent cue.

"I'm warning you by saying that you didn't pick the wrong guy to mess with," said Ulrich. "You picked the wrong girl."

William didn't get the opportunity to reply. Yumi promptly executed a sweep kick, knocking his legs out from under him and allowing him to fall on his backside. He stayed down, just like Yumi knew he would. It didn't matter that he wasn't hurt physically, she had spurned his pride. The rest of the class was chortling openly, and if the teacher hadn't left to get coffee, it was likely he'd be hiding a smile.

Ulrich felt content when he saw Yumi looking radiant. He wasn't Jeremie, and she wasn't Aelita. He didn't have to worry about protecting her. By granting her this one small pleasure of taking care of herself, she was at her happiest all day.

"Thanks, Ulrich," said Yumi, walking out of the room with him.

"He deserved it," said Ulrich, waving the compliment away. "I just got him off of you. You made him the laughing stock of the school."

"I thought you were going to freak out like you usually do when he flirts with me," said Yumi.

"I also thought I'd do better than a D on my math test," joked Ulrich. "William may act tough, but he's a coward. He should be the least of my problems."

Yumi was happy to hear that her boyfriend wasn't going to get jealous, and taken by surprise that he had made the change seemingly overnight. Ulrich halted his impressed girlfriend and gave her a small, sweet kiss just as the bell rang.

"I'll catch up with you after school, okay?" asked Ulrich. Yumi nodded and had to sprint to her next class if she didn't want a scolding.

* * *

"Ugh," moaned Jeremie, his entire body aching. "You go through this every time?"

"You get used to it," said Aelita, helping him out of the scanner. "Can you stand up?"

"I think so," muttered Jeremie, clutching the sides of the scanner for support. "I am _never_ going back there again."

"Don't be so sour, you looked adorable," said Aelita, adjusting his glasses for him.

"Aelita," said Jeremie disbelievingly.

"You just won't say it because you're stubborn as a fool," said Aelita, leading him to the elevator.

"Mule, Aelita, not fool," Jeremie reminded her.

"I always forget," said Aelita, shrugging. "Come on, you couldn't have hated the entire time we were there. Wasn't there anything you liked?"

"You," said Jeremie simply.

"Anything else?" asked Aelita, blushing mildly.

"The trees in the forest sector looked nice," said Jeremie. Aelita giggled; at least he tried. "You know I was never a guy for action. I always stick to working behind the scenes."

"I think you could learn to love it," said Aelita, moving her thumb over his cheek. He took her hand and kissed it.

"Princess, I'm sorry, but I could never learn to love something that served as your prison for so long," said Jeremie, smiling sadly. "If it's any consolation, you look beautiful on Lyoko."

"And I think you look very handsome," said Aelita determinedly.

Jeremie sighed and felt his phone buzzing. There was no point in trying to make her see different. He opened the new text message and read through it twice. Jeremie would have cursed, had it not been that Aelita was standing right next to him. He didn't want her picking up any bad habits.

"Jeremie, what's wrong?" asked Aelita, noting his troubled expression.

"_Now_ Ulrich decides to trust Yumi," growled Jeremie.

"You mean, they aren't mad over William?" asked Aelita, startled.

"No," said Jeremie. "Ulrich knows Yumi doesn't care about William. It's about time, though."

"That plan is out the window," said Aelita.

"Not yet," said Jeremie. "We'll just have to improvise."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: The day Xana declares his unending love for Jeremie is the day I own Code Lyoko...But even then I probably won't.

Chapter 9

"Yumi, you need to show Ulrich that he can't live without you," said Aelita. "Once he realizes that he'll confess."

"And how am I supposed to show him that?" asked Yumi.

"Don't talk to him," said Naomi.

"Don't kiss him," said Jean.

"Act like he doesn't even exist," said Lola.

"What. The. Hell. Are. You. Talking. About?" asked Yumi slowly. "I can't just ignore my boyfriend!"

"You can and you will," said Melanie sternly. "After a few days, the first time you talk to him he'll be screaming his love for you."

"This is the dumbest plan yet!" said Yumi. "There is no way I'm doing this!"

"You are," said Aelita.

"What if you had to ignore Jeremie for a few days, would you do it?" asked Yumi evenly.

"This isn't about me, this is about you," said Aelita. "I know you're going to miss him, but it's better than the idea Camille had."

"Which was?" asked Yumi. Anything was better than no contact with Ulrich.

"Making you a cheerleader," said Camille brightly. "Guys love that."

Yumi tried hard not to gag. Clothes that wouldn't fit her old dolls, making everything rhyme...It was just creepy. "I'll do it," said Yumi finally. "Sign me up."

"_Are you insane?_" asked Aelita loudly. "You're joking, right?"

"Nope," said Yumi reluctantly. "Who do I have to talk to about trying out?"

"Er...Sissi, she's head cheerleader," said Azra, waiting for the scream.

"Fine," said Yumi, standing up. "I'll go talk to her now."

"Have you forgotten that she hates you?" asked Heidi.

"No, but if I remember correctly, Caroline broke her leg, and the squad is one girl short," said Yumi. "Sissi's got to pick somebody. Why not me?"

"Because she hates you," reminded Aelita. "Yumi, you really think this is a better option?"

"Better than what you thought of," said Yumi shortly. "Knowing you, it has to be one or the other, right?"

"I was thinking you'd pick the same one I did, but yes," said Aelita, shrugging. Yumi exited the room and slammed the door shut.

"Did you know she was going to agree to that?" asked Emily.

"No, and to be honest, I'm a little worried this is going to undo the new couple," said Aelita.

* * *

Yumi gritted her teeth as she approached Sissi. The very idea of asking that moron for a favor was unspeakable, and she had to do it! _Ulrich, you had better love me for this,_ Yumi thought to herself.

"Hey, Sissi!" called out Yumi.

"Oh, Yumi, what do you want?" asked Sissi ruefully.

"I-I hear you need another cheerleader--" started Yumi.

"And you were hoping I'd pick you? Ha!" scoffed Sissi.

"Look, Sissi, I know we don't have a great history together, but you need another girl and I need...an extracurricular activity for...college," finished Yumi lamely. Sissi would never let her join if she knew the real reason.

"Every girl in this school would die for a place on the squad," said Sissi. "Why should I give it to you?"

"Um, because..." Yumi racked her brains for a decent answer. "You can sit with us at lunch for a week!"

"Really?" asked Sissi, her face lighting up like a child's on Christmas morning.

"Er..." Yumi faltered. _No, no, no, and no!_ she thought. "Really."

"Well, we'll see how well you do trying out," said Sissi, smirking. "I'll see you at lunch!"

"Right," said Yumi. "See you then."

Sissi practically skipped back to her dorm, and Yumi pulled out her cell phone. An entire lunch listening to Sissi trying to pick up her boyfriend. Just what she always dreamed of.

"Hey, Jeremie?" Yumi knew it would be best to warn him now. "No Lyoko talk at lunch, okay?"

"Uh, sure, but why not?" asked Jeremie.

"We're going to be having a guest," said Yumi.

"Who?" asked Jeremie.

"Sissi, bye!" said Yumi, ending the call quickly.

* * *

"Who was that?" asked Ulrich.

"Yumi," said Jeremie, trying to register what he heard.

"Was it...X?" asked Ulrich cautiously.

"What's X?" asked Christophe.

"Nothing, and no," said Jeremie. "We've got to make room for an extra person at lunch."

"Who?" asked Odd.

"Sissi," said Jeremie slowly. "I don't know if Yumi invited her or what, and she hung up before I could ask."

"Why would Yumi invite that?" asked Ulrich doubtfully.

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Jeremie. "There's no use wondering about it, we have to talk about your next move."

"Great," said Ulrich sarcastically.

"We think we should show Yumi how special you are compared to other guys," said Jean-Baptiste. "So, we're going to team up and romance her."

"You're going to _what?_" asked Ulrich.

"We're going to created a secret admirer," said Thomas. "Alex has the best handwriting, so he'll write the love notes. Romain will buy the flowers, and Bastien's uncle owns the nearby jewelry store, so he can get a good price on a bracelet or something."

"No," said Ulrich. "I've done a lot of weird things, but I am not letting some mystery guy flirt with my girlfriend!"

"But we aren't some mystery guy, we're a bunch of normal guys!" said Alexandre.

"No!" said Ulrich. "You really expected me to go along with this?"

"No, we just wanted you to know," said Jeremie. "We're going to do it anyway, whether you like it or not. The plan is Yumi's going to feel guilty because another boy is after her heart, talk with you about it, and tell you how much more you mean to her. You pluck up the courage to tell her you love her, and everyone's happy."

"Is this what you do instead of sleeping?" asked Ulrich. "Make schemes only a crazy person would go through?"

"You don't have to go through it, Yumi does," Odd pointed out. "And there's nothing you can do that'll stop us."

"You're all deranged," Ulrich muttered.

"Sticks and stones," said Thomas carelessly. "You know Yumi, so you've gotta tell us what to write. We need to make sure she doesn't like her admirer, the last thing we want is for her to fall for him."

Ulrich rolled his eyes. This was getting downright ridiculous. He was smart enough to know that it wouldn't matter how much he protested, they would do it without him if need be. And he agreed with that last part. He didn't spend the last year and a half attempting to flirt with her and have it ruined by someone that didn't exist.

"I'm in," said Ulrich grudgingly.

* * *

Yumi noticed Sissi following her into the cafeteria. That meant she wouldn't have even a few minutes alone with her friends.

"You'll be introducing me, of course," said Sissi smugly.

"They already know you," Yumi reminded her. "Or is your brain too full of air to remember?"

"Watch your tongue," chided Sissi. Yumi bit down on the inside of her cheeks to keep from blurting out another insult.

"Hey, guys," said Yumi, dropping her tray on the table and sliding over for Sissi. "Hope you don't mind, but Sissi's gonna sit with us for a while."

Sissi smiled sweetly and positioned herself across from Ulrich. Ulrich glanced over at Yumi for some explanation, but she said nothing. Odd merely shrugged and dug into his meal ravenously. Jeremie and Aelita were having some silent conversation with each other.

"You five are usually so chatty," observed Sissi. "Did someone die?"

"Only your—I mean, no," said Odd, swallowing his remark when Yumi kicked him in the shin.

"So, Ulrich, do you want to come see a movie with me tonight?" asked Sissi, her voice like poisoned honey.

"No, because I was wondering if my girlfriend would want to hang out with me," said Ulrich.

"I'd be honored," said Sissi, grinning.

"He was talking to me," said Yumi coldly. "I'd love to."

"You and that string bean?" yelled Sissi indignantly.

"Hey, how about that baseball team!" spoke up Aelita, trying to spin the subject to something else. "I think they'll do pretty well this year, don't you?"

No one answered her. Ulrich's expression turned to one of alarm without apparent reason, while Sissi stared at him with dreamy eyes. Yumi starting thinking up any and all ways she could murder Sissi with her spork until Jeremie's laptop started beeping.

"Oh no," mumbled Jeremie. He nodded to the group and stood up.

"Uh, sorry, Sissi, this was great and all, but we gotta go," said Ulrich.

"I'll come with you!" said Sissi.

"That's not such a good idea," said Aelita. "You'd be very bored. We're going to do our...homework."

"You can do that later!" said Sissi, looking at Yumi.

"Look, we have to go!" said Yumi. "We'll see you tomorrow."

Sissi stomped her foot angrily and the group swiftly left the table. As soon as they were out of hearing distance, Ulrich, Jeremie, and Odd rounded on Yumi.

"Why are you bringing the school brat into our group?" asked Jeremie.

"I'm pretty sure Ulrich wasn't too happy with Sissi trying to play footsie with him," commented Odd.

"She what?" asked Yumi angrily.

"Exactly," said Jeremie. "If she hangs out with us she's going to find out about Lyoko."

"We'll just have to watch what we say for the next week," said Yumi sheepishly.

"A week with her?" asked Odd. "An entire week?"

"Look, I can't say why, but I need you guys to do me this favor," said Yumi.

"Sure, Yumi," said Aelita, nodding. "Come on, guys, we can do this for her."

"I should've known you'd be on her side," said Odd.

"It's one week," said Yumi pleadingly. "Please? Ulrich?"

"It's...only a few days, I guess," said Ulrich, his resolve crumbling.

"Lovesick," said Jeremie, smirking.

"Jeremie, she's not going to bug you," said Aelita, batting her eyelashes. She kissed him on the cheek and he groaned, realizing he was just as weak as Ulrich when it came to his girl.

"I'm outnumbered, I see," said Odd. "We can suck it up."

"Thanks, you guys," said Yumi gratefully.

"Let's go pull a yoo-hoo it's us!" said Odd, already pulling off the manhole in the park. "Ladies first."

* * *

"The tower is north," said Jeremie. "Can you see it?

"It sticks out like a sore thumb," said Ulrich, looking around at the forest sector.

"You've got blocks coming at you, though," warned Jeremie. "I'm sending your vehicles."

Ulrich dodged a laser from a block and jammed his saber into its weak point. Three more blocks remained. With a flick of her wrist Yumi took out one, and Odd mercilessly destroyed the last two.

"Nice job, but some hornets are flying your way," said Jeremie.

"You missed the Scyphozoa, Einstein!" said Odd. "Hola, Señor Jellyfish!"

"No time for jokes, Odd!" said Yumi, ducking to avoid another laser. A pesky hornet aimed at the Overwing and succeeded. "Aelita, jump!"

Yumi and Aelita landed on their feet. The Scyphozoa took its chance and glided towards the pink-haired girl. As if by instinct Aelita knew something was coming up behind her and started running.

"Leave her alone, Blubberface!" yelled Yumi, sending her fans towards the pale tentacles. She cursed softly when she missed. "Aelita, take cover!"

"Triplicate!" cried Ulrich, sending his two clones to handle the last of the hornets with Odd.

"Laser Arrow!" Odd shot three arrows at the wasp-like creature, getting shot in the chest twice.

"Odd, you've only got twenty life points left!" said Jeremie.

"That's nineteen more than I need!" said Odd, swerving another laser on the Overboard.

Aelita was already making her way to the tower to keep away from the Scyphozoa. She cried out when she felt herself being lifted off the ground and lost control of her body, unable to struggle in any way. Her mouth fell open as the creature began probing her mind.

"Get Aelita out of there!" ordered Jeremie. He was always scared out of his skin whenever she was caught by the monster, but now that they were finally together, it was ten times worse.

"We're doing our best!" Yumi told him, charging for the fiend. She threw her fans at the tentacles, and the Scyphozoa dropped Aelita while retreating.

"Thanks, Yumi," said Aelita breathlessly.

"No problem, let's get to that tower while Ulrich and Odd take care the hornets," said Yumi.

The pair ran the rest of the distance. Once Aelita was safely in the tower Odd and Ulrich allowed themselves to be devirtualized, smirking at the surrounding hornets as they did so. They came out of the scanners panting, but rejoiced over yet another victory.

AELITA

CODE: LYOKO

Jeremie sighed with relief. "I'm bringing you back in," he said, typing in the needed commands. "Don't worry, Odd, we still have a little time for lunch."

"All right!" cheered Odd. The scanner behind him reopened and Aelita dropped to her knees. "Hey, Princess, are you okay?"

"Yeah," said Aelita, taking his hand to stand up. "All of these late nights researching the antivirus are catching up with me."

"Aelita!" said Jeremie, running out of the elevator. Aelita grinned when he hugged her.

"Once again, we save the day, and no one will ever know," said Ulrich.

"You really want Sissi knowing you're a superhero on top of everything else?" asked Yumi.

"Good point," said Ulrich, pulling her into a kiss. Yumi smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Has everyone forgotten about lunch?" asked Odd.

"We're coming," said Jeremie. "At least we stopped Xana before he did any damage."

"Who's going to stop Sissi?" asked Ulrich, one arm firmly around Yumi's waist.

* * *

**A/N:** Before you ask, no I don't know where I'm going with this. Then again, I never have since I started writing this series, so it's nothing new.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko.

Chapter 10

Yumi smiled as Ulrich told her a joke. She was leaning on him with his back against a tree. His tree. He always kept this tree for himself, but tonight he was sharing it with her.

"Yumes, why is Sissi sitting with us for a week, anyway?" asked Ulrich. Yumi sighed.

"I really wish I could, but I can't tell you," said Yumi. She knew he'd find out eventually, but a part of her wanted to delay that moment as much as possible.

"Are you two suddenly buddies now?" asked Ulrich, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger.

"Not even in my worst nightmare," said Yumi.

"Heh, I had a feeling you'd say that," laughed Ulrich, kissing her temple.

"You know me too well," said Yumi.

"That's what happens when two people fight evil together as long as we have," said Ulrich.

"Do you think Jeremie's going to find the antivirus soon?" asked Yumi. "He's been working overtime since he and Aelita started going out."

"I hope so," said Ulrich. "I'd have thought Jeremie would take a few breaks off the computer now."

"I guess I get why he's stressing himself out about it," said Yumi, shrugging. "He hates it when she has to go to Lyoko."

"How do you know?" asked Ulrich.

"He told her and she told me," said Yumi. "She actually got him to go to Lyoko, can you believe it?"

"Really?" asked Ulrich, surprised. "How'd she manage that?"

"I'm not sure," said Yumi. "She wouldn't tell me what he looks like, either. She said she's sworn to secrecy."

"I'm afraid I am too, so I can't tell you either," apologized Ulrich.

"One of these days I'm going to pull him by the ear into that scanner," said Yumi. She shook her head. "Scratch that. I remember what happened the last time I sent him to Lyoko."

"How about we leave the technical stuff to Jer and Aelita and take care of the Xana bashing?" offered Ulrich.

"Sounds good to me," said Yumi.

"I still can't believe all of this happens to five teenagers," said Ulrich. "Pretty crazy, huh?"

"The world is crazy," said Yumi, kissing him on the cheek. "We just have to live in it."

"I don't mind so much, as long as I live in it with you," said Ulrich. Yumi blushed.

"When did my boyfriend turn into Romeo?" asked Yumi. "Oh, yeah, I remember."

"Ugh, I hated being in that play!" said Ulrich. "Thank God Jeremie found a way to make it work."

"I'm sure Sissi was disappointed," said Yumi, smirking.

"Yes, because my life's duty is to please It," said Ulrich, snorting. "I personally think you would have made a better Juliet."

"Kiwi would have made a better Juliet," Yumi reminded him.

"True enough," said Ulrich, kissing her hair.

"Ulrich, thanks for caring," said Yumi, smiling at him. "After the play my parents started working things out."

"I know it's none of my business, but are they...okay?" asked Ulrich.

"I think so," said Yumi. "They still fight sometimes, but it's not so bad."

"That's great!" said Ulrich. Yumi nodded. He blushed lightly. "Do they know about you and me?"

"Yeah," said Yumi dryly. "Hiroki knows, too. He started teasing me a lot worse, but I expected that. My mom thinks the best of you, so she's happy for us. My dad yelled for about an hour, but after a few cups of tea he calmed down."

"I didn't want you to get in trouble," said Ulrich.

"It wouldn't matter which boy it was, he treats them all the same," explained Yumi. "He thinks you'll break my heart and I'll cry about it for a week, then I'll give up guys and focus on my schoolwork. Something like that, anyway."

"Your dad isn't very subtle with his opinions, is he?" asked Ulrich, flinching at the thought of hurting Yumi.

"No, not really," said Yumi, shrugging. "At least he isn't interrogating you for four hours like he's been threatening to do to my first boyfriend since I was born."

"I'm glad of that," said Ulrich, grinning.

"I think you'd do all right," quipped Yumi. "What's not to like about you?"

"I'm sure your dad would be happy to write a list," said Ulrich. He thought for a moment, then added, "Or a book."

"And your dad would fall in love with me?" asked Yumi doubtfully.

"Not as long as I'm keeping a C- average," said Ulrich. "Anything besides soccer is an obstacle to me in his eyes."

"Parents have been hating whoever dates their kids since the beginning of time, we're no exception," said Yumi, sighing.

"Very true," agreed Ulrich, tipping her face up to him and kissing her mouth. Yumi felt herself wrapping her arms around his neck, raking her fingers through his rich brown hair. Ulrich groaned when he felt a buzzing in his pocket. He slowly pulled back and pulled out his vibrating phone. "I'm gonna have to cut this short."

"Curfew?" asked Yumi.

"Yep," answered Ulrich, standing up. "I don't have enough time to walk you home without getting busted by Jim."

"That's okay," said Yumi, planting her lips on his cheek briefly. "I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

"All right, let's get to work," said Bastien, poking a sleepy Ulrich in the head. "No dozing off, we've got a girl to flirt with."

"Are you sure you aren't just a nightmare that I'm about to wake up from?" asked Ulrich, swiping at Bastien.

"He's always testy in the mornings," Odd told the teachers cheerfully. "So, what are we going to write to Yumi?"

Many of the gazes from the boys turned to Jeremie. "What?" asked Jeremie defensively.

"Not counting Ulrich, you're the only one of us who actually has a girlfriend," said Christophe. "We need some ideas from you, too. How do you sweet talk Aelita?"

"I don't know what you mean," said Jeremie. "Be more specific."

"You know, what do you tell her to make her blush and stuff?" asked Romain. "What do you compare her to?"

"I don't tell her anything but the truth, and there's nothing to compare her to," said Jeremie blankly. "She's perfect, and no flower or sunset is going to do her justice."

"Jeremie, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but..." started Alexandre, taking in a deep breath. "You're too friggin' corny!"

"Ulrich's not the only grouchy one," Jeremie observed.

"He's got a point, Einstein," said Odd, smirking. "What _do_ you tell her, anyway? You can't be talking about 'homework' all the time."

"I think that's a little private," said Jeremie crossly.

"Uh oh, Jeremie keeping secrets? I wonder what he's hiding," said Jean-Baptiste. Jeremie blushed.

"Is your sole source of entertainment to pick on me?" asked Jeremie, heat rushing to his face. "We're here for Ulrich. Why don't you ask him?"

"If we put anything too personal down, she's going to think she's being stalked," said Ulrich, coming to Jeremie's rescue.

"In a way, she is," said Romain.

"How would William write it?" asked Jeremie. Ulrich scowled. "Think about it. William would be the perfect Almost Secret Admirer. He knows how to be romantic, but the girl isn't interested. So, how would he put it?"

"He'd probably say something along the lines of 'we're meant to be,' but I think that will still creep her out," said Ulrich flatly.

"That's good, put it down," said Jeremie. "And a 'roses are red, violets are blue' poem."

"How should the ending go?" asked Alexandre.

"Anything that rhymes with I love you," said Jeremie. "Bastien, you got some jewelry, right?"

"Yeah," said Bastien, holding a velvet case in his hand. A small golden pendant lay inside. "But I sort of took it when my uncle wasn't around, so...I need it back before he notices it's gone."

"Smooth," said Jeremie, rolling his eyes. "It's supposed to be a gift! How do you plan on getting it back?"

"It's not like she's gonna keep it!" said Bastien.

"So you're going to walk up to her and ask for the pendant she got from her secret admirer?" asked Ulrich, raising an eyebrow. "Emphasis on the secret part?"

"Well, I was hoping you could get it," said Bastien meekly.

"How am I supposed to get it?" asked Ulrich incredulously.

"You're with her all the time!" shot back Bastien. "When you're kissing her goodnight or something, grab it!"

"Unbelievable," said Ulrich. "I'm beginning to see why Jeremie and I are the only one's with girlfriends. We're the only sane ones!"

"Are you calling us crazy?" asked Odd indignantly.

"Weren't you listening?" asked Ulrich.

"Back to business," said Jeremie. "Bastien, take the pendant back. We'll have to do without. Romain, did you get the flowers?"

"All here, chief," said Romain, holding a large bouquet of daisies. He gave the group a small smile. "And a date with Jean."

"Nice!" said Christophe approvingly.

"The love letter is still a little short," said Alexandre critically. "We want to sound serious, after all."

"Right," agreed Thomas.

* * *

Ulrich tried to stay calm as he opened the creaking gate to Yumi's house. All the lights were out. That was a good sign. Why he had to be the one to do this was beyond him, but he was taking Jeremie's threat to suffocate him with one of Odd's shoes seriously.

He held the stems of the flowers in between his teeth and started his climb up the rain gutter, praying that Mr. Ishiyama wouldn't find him. He forced himself to keep his eyes on the second story window. Now wasn't the greatest time to have his vertigo kick in.

Ulrich sighed as he got a grip on the windowsill. He smiled when he saw Yumi sleeping peacefully inside, then shook his head to clear his thoughts. It wouldn't be right to spy on her. He carefully slid the window open and arched over the windowsill, setting the envelope and daisies on the carpet. Ulrich froze when he heard Yumi moan and sit up. He quickly snatched the gifts back and slid back down the gutter to avoid being caught.

"I don't remember leaving the window open," he heard Yumi mutter between yawns. He glanced up and began sweating bullets when he saw the underside of her chin as she looked out the window. He started mouthing every four-letter word that he felt was appropriate for the situation and stayed perfectly still, hoping against hope he wouldn't fall.

He heard her crawl back into bed, deciding to leave the window open. Ulrich didn't make a second attempt until he heard a quiet snore, then pushed himself up and laid the presents back on the floor.

"Ulrich."

Ulrich snapped his head up so fast he could have gotten whiplash. Yumi's eyes were closed and she was still lying down, but there was no denying she had just said his name.

"Ulrich," Yumi repeated, turning on her side. He could see the corners of her mouth twitch up in a smile. Was she dreaming about him? "Ulrich!"

Her brow furrowed and she frowned. Her expression was antagonized, and she was turning underneath the blanket. Her dream was turning into a nightmare of some sort. Ulrich waited for her to calm down before descending back to Earth, but she didn't.

"Let him go," moaned Yumi. Beads of sweat were lining her forehead. "Ulrich..."

Ulrich didn't know how it happened. At one moment, he was watching her from outside the house, ten feet from the ground. The next, he was kneeling at her side, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm okay," murmured Ulrich. "We're both fine."

Yumi stopped moving at the sound of his voice. Her face became serene, and he blushed. Surely he didn't have anything to do with that? Yumi flipped over onto her stomach, rubbing her cheek against her pillow and saying his name again. Ulrich remembered his position and smacked his head for letting himself get here.

His jaw dropped when he saw her eyes open. They adjusted to the darkness, then immediately focused on him. There was no anger or surprise. They were void of any emotion. She sat up and blinked.

"Ulrich? What are you doing here?" asked Yumi, swaying slightly. Ulrich did the only thing he could think of.

"You're dreaming," said Ulrich, waving his arms around. "You should go back to sleeeep!"

"If...I'm asleep, how am I supposed to..." Yumi's eyelids started drooping, and she didn't finish the question.

"Shaba laba ding dong!" hissed Ulrich frantically, pushing her back down. Yumi put up no resistance and curled up, her breathing coming out slower with each second.

Ulrich grinned and stood up, stopping to detach her hand from his arm. His face must have resembled a tomato. Stepping over the letter and daisies, he got a firm hold on the rain gutter, closed the window, and shimmied down, then proceeding to run back to Kadic before he could press his luck any further.

* * *

Yumi slapped the OFF button on her buzzing alarm clock and dragged herself out of bed. She'd had the strangest dream last night. She could have sworn...Well, it was just a dream, there was no point in dwelling on it. She surveyed the room and her eye was caught by a bunch of white flowers by her window.

"What in the world?" Yumi muttered, bending down to examine them. A small letter was underneath. There was no writing on it. She tore it open and found a neatly folded paper inside, with even neater handwriting.

_My Dearest Yumi,_

_I've admired you from afar for so long. What's not to admire? Your face, your hair, your voice, your very scent gives me the chills. I can't stand being away from you. I know you wouldn't give me a second glance, so forgive me for not revealing myself, love. But I just couldn't keep it inside any longer._

_We were a match made in Heaven, I can guarantee it. I will always love you. From day one I knew you were the one for me. One day, you'll see it, too. I'll wait an eternity for you. _

_I may be sounding forward, but I'm completely smitten with you. Take these daisies as a token of my unwavering affection for you. I don't need you to love me yet, I know that you're currently seeing someone. When he's gone, I'll still be here._

_Love always,_

_Your secret admirer_

_P.S. Roses are red_

_Violets are blue_

_I hope you feel the same_

_Because I love you_

Yumi let the letter slip through her fingers. She nearly tripped when she sprinted across the room and grabbed her cell phone, dialing as quickly as possible.

"Aelita!" yelled Yumi, pacing back and forth. "We've got a bit of a problem."


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko.

Chapter 11

Yumi grudgingly knocked on the door. Her pink-haired friend opened up and ushered her inside to be greeted by her mentors.

"Well?" asked Claire.

"I made it," growled Yumi. She rolled her eyes at the explosion of cheers. "Why did I agree to do this?"

"Because you can't stay away from Ulrich," answered Azra.

"It was a rhetorical question," spat Yumi through gritted teeth.

"Ulrich wouldn't be able to take his eyes off you in that," said Heidi, smirking as she took in the new cheerleading uniform.

"I hate this," muttered Yumi, throwing her pom-poms on the floor.

"Hey, aren't cheerleaders supposed to respect those?" asked Aelita, raising an eyebrow.

"The only reason you aren't dead yet is because I'm afraid Jeremie would go all evil genius on me," said Yumi.

"This is a thankless job," said Aelita. She glanced back at the other girls. "Was I this bad?"

"For our personal safety, we have no opinion," said Camille, shrugging.

"Oh, and I got another one," said Yumi, tossing a piece of paper into Aelita's lap.

"This is the third one," said Aelita, pretending to read through it. "Any gifts?"

"No, finally," said Yumi. "I don't need another giant teddy bear. What am I going to do?"

"There are a few options," said Aelita. "You could tell Ulrich, which would be for the best."

"I'm assuming lack of sleep is affecting your judgment," said Yumi. "He'd blow up!"

"Remember how he reacted to William?" reminded Jean. "He was cool then, maybe he will be now."

"Yeah, right," said Yumi. "All telling him will do is get him angry."

"Why would he be angry?" asked Aelita. "Face it, Yumi, you are pretty. Any guy would be nuts not to think so. I'm sure Ulrich would understand, and it can only bring you closer."

"But, if you're afraid, you can continue hiding this from him and hope the notes stop," said Melanie.

"I pick that one," said Yumi quickly.

"_Or_, get to the bottom of who's sending these and let him down easy," said Lola.

"How do I do that?" Yumi asked.

"Where did this letter show up?" asked Emily.

"The same place as the last two," said Yumi.

"Tonight, drink a few cups of coffee and stay up," said Aelita. "Catch him red-handed."

"What then?" asked Yumi. "How am I supposed to not hurt his feelings?"

"Tell him you're flattered, but you can't return his feelings," said Naomi. "Give him back the flowers, the letters, and the bear."

"You think that will work?" asked Yumi.

"It should," said Aelita. "By the way, when are you going to start cheering?"

"We'll be at the basketball game next Thursday," said Yumi. "I've got Sissi on my back reminding me of the routine."

"Ulrich's going to figure it out when he sees you," said Camille.

"I know, I know," said Yumi.

* * *

Ulrich had his hand on the rain gutter and the other one holding the love letter. He still didn't know why this was his job. He looked up at the window. For the last three days he had climbed up and nearly gotten caught. If there was anything he had learned, it was that Yumi was a light sleeper. She also tended to dream about him.

He pulled back from the house. Yumi hadn't looked him in the eye in three days. This wasn't helping their relationship. He knew Jeremie and Odd only wanted the best for the both of them, but they didn't notice how much quieter Yumi had become.

Ulrich spotted a garbage can on the sidewalk and threw the letter inside. He would be caught eventually, and what then? There was no way to explain himself. And it killed him to do this when he was her boyfriend. Ulrich sighed and started the walk back to Kadic.

* * *

"Jeremie?" Aelita opened the door and smiled. "Am I disturbing you?"

"Hi, Aelita," said Jeremie, turning away from his computer. "No, not at all."

"Wasn't Ulrich supposed to deliver another letter to Yumi last night?" asked Aelita, sitting on the bed.

"Yeah, he did, why?" asked Jeremie.

"Yumi didn't get one," said Aelita. "She stayed up all night like I told her to so she could catch him, but nothing happened."

"Ulrich said he delivered it without a problem," said Jeremie. "One of them must be lying."

"That's only making things harder," Aelita.

"Should we give up on this plan?" asked Jeremie.

"If Ulrich's lying, then it's a waste," said Aelita. "If Yumi is, then we wouldn't even know if it's turning into a catastrophe."

"There is a way to find out," said Jeremie. "We could follow him and see what's happening."

"That could work if we're quiet," said Aelita, nodding her approval.

"When will he find out about the cheerleading?" asked Jeremie

"Next Thursday, make sure he gets a front row seat," recited Aelita.

"Expect Odd with a camera and twelve rolls of film," said Jeremie. "He considers this the ultimate blackmail."

"Not surprising," said Aelita, rolling her eyes. "I just feel lucky Yumi didn't make me try out with her. What a nightmare that would be!"

"Yeah, the plan would've failed because Yumi wouldn't have made it," said Jeremie. Aelita blushed and kissed him on the cheek.

"I knew you'd say that," said Aelita.

"Am I really that predictable?" asked Jeremie.

"A little," said Aelita, giggling. She felt the delicious sensation of his lips connected to hers and moaned. Jeremie grinned through the kiss at her surprise. They pulled a few inches apart and she laughed again. "Okay, I take it back!"

"That's more like it," joked Jeremie, hugging her close. She tugged a finger at the neck to his shirt and planted a gentle kiss on the exposed collar bone, then looked at the computer over his shoulder with distaste.

"Working on the antivirus again?" asked Aelita.

"Yeah," answered Jeremie. "I know I'm on the right track."

"Why not take a little break?" Aelita suggested.

"I don't think so, Aelita, we're kind of behind," said Jeremie, frowning. "The sooner we're done with Xana the better."

"You've been working all afternoon," Aelita pointed out. She pressed another kiss on his mouth. "Just a small break."

Jeremie knew she was going to win in the end. "All right," he agreed, running his hand through her hair. "A small break. _Very_ small."

"Right. Small."

* * *

Ulrich cringed when he heard the voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

"Ulrich, dear!"

"Sissi, what do you want?" asked Ulrich, turning around reluctantly. She was in her cheerleading uniform, waving her pom-poms around.

"I was just wondering if you'd like me to sit with you tomorrow at lunch!" she said brightly.

"Do I have to let you?" asked Ulrich. She pouted. "Your week was over yesterday."

"Yumi isn't here, you don't have to pretend!" Sissi said loudly.

"I'm not pretending," said Ulrich. "Sissi, I don't like you. How many times do I have to say it?"

"You'll come around, don't worry," said Sissi, setting a hand on his shoulder. He pushed it off.

"Yumi is my girlfriend," said Ulrich slowly, as if she couldn't speak the same language he did. "Not you. Yumi. And I really hope she stays my girlfriend."

"You only like her because she's on the squad!" huffed Sissi. "I'll have you know I'm the one who got her there out of the goodness of my heart!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Ulrich. "What squad?"

"Ugh!" Sissi stomped her foot and stormed away.

"I'll never understand girls," muttered Ulrich. He strolled down the rest of the hallway and knocked three times on the third door to the right. He heard a muffled groan and a disheveled Jeremie answered. "Woah, what happened to you?"

"N-Nothing," said Jeremie shakily, his glasses askew. "What's up?"

"Seriously, are you okay?" asked Ulrich.

"I'm great," said Jeremie. "What's the matter?"

"I just came by to get the homework assignment for algebra," said Ulrich.

"Right," said Jeremie, nodding. He went back into the room and grabbed his backpack, looking through it while blushing. Ulrich poked his head inside and saw Aelita sitting on the bed, staring at her knees with a crimson face.

"Oh," mumbled Ulrich. "Sorry, guys, I didn't mean to...intrude."

"We were just working," said Aelita quickly. Ulrich smirked.

"Sure you were," said Ulrich.

"Really, we were," defended Jeremie. He scribbled down the assignment on a piece of paper and handed it to the brunette. "There you go."

"Okay, you two can get back to _work_," said Ulrich. Jeremie went back to his computer, muttering to himself, and Aelita frowned.

"Thanks a lot, Ulrich, I just got him off that thing!" said Aelita.

"He's your boyfriend," said Ulrich simply, shrugging. She rolled her eyes and walked over to Jeremie to help him with his research. Whatever happened after Ulrich left the room was a secret unknown to him, for which he was grateful.

A flash of gold and purple caught his eye. He froze, thinking it was Sissi back to bug him. Instead, it was Yumi. Her eyes were cast down on the ground, her shoulders sagging, and she was covered in perspiration. In short, she was the definition of exhaustion.

"Yumi?" Ulrich called out. She nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Oh, hey, Ulrich!" replied Yumi, biting her lip.

"What are you doing in a cheerleading uniform?" asked Ulrich, puzzled. "Are you trying to pull a prank on Sissi?"

"Er, not exactly," said Yumi.

"You look beat, are you all right?" asked Ulrich.

"I'm fine," said Yumi.

"So, what's with the outfit?" asked Ulrich.

"Close your eyes and I'll tell you," said Yumi.

Ulrich hesitantly complied. She didn't say anything. After a few seconds of waiting he squinted through one eye, then opened both to find that the hallway was deserted.

"I should've seen that one coming," said Ulrich, sighing.

* * *

Jeremie crept about twenty meters behind Ulrich. Many nights he had spent sneaking past Jim to get to the factory late at night; it was hardly a challenge with the samurai. So far, the brunette had been taking the usual route to Yumi's house, letter in hand. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Ah," Jeremie muttered to himself as they approached the iron gate. Ulrich paused in front of the house, then tore up the envelope and tossed the pieces in the garbage. Now Jeremie understood. Ulrich would walk the distance and back to help make the lie more realistic. The only reason he was caught was because Yumi was taking lessons, too.

A bright light flashed out of the window. Ulrich immediately ducked behind the garbage can, spotting Jeremie. His jaw dropped but he didn't utter a sound. Jeremie peered around the corner to see Yumi's silhouette with a flashlight shining through the darkness. The little he could see of her face showed an absolute determination.

"Who's out there?" called Yumi. The boys were rooted to the spot. "Look, I just want to talk to you!"

Jeremie raised an eyebrow and jabbed his thumb towards her. Ulrich shook his head. If looks could kill, Jeremie would be lying in his grave.

"Go," mouthed Jeremie, still crouched on the ground.

"No," Ulrich silently replied.

Jeremie winced as the flashlight focused on him. Yumi squinted, trying to see the figure behind the bars of the gate, and gaped.

"J-Jeremie?" asked Yumi incredulously. Jeremie sighed and straightened up. It was time for everything to get out in the open.

"Hey, Yumi," greeted Jeremie casually, waving at her.

"Does Aelita know you're here?" asked Yumi.

"Yeah," said Jeremie simply. Disbelief was quite apparent in the young woman's face.

"Jeremie, I think you two have a problem if she's okay with you giving me love letters," said Yumi slowly. Jeremie jumped.

"Woah, you think I'm your secret admirer?" asked Jeremie, shaking his head energetically. "No! Ul--"

Jeremie was sprawled on his back before he could finish. Ulrich had pounced on him to keep his friend from talking, without realizing he was giving himself away. Jeremie rolled his eyes, shooting Ulrich a glare that plainly said _Nice going, genius._

"What is going on?" asked Yumi. Things were happening far too quickly for her to keep up.

"I was wondering the same thing."

The world seemed to freeze. The flashlight nearly fell out of Yumi's hand. Ulrich rolled off Jeremie and glanced up. Jeremie scrambled to his feet. A man was standing in the doorway of Yumi's house, donning a robe and slippers.

"Er...hi, Mr. Ishiyama," said Ulrich meekly. "H-How are you?"

"Fine, considering the fact that two boys seem to be fighting over my daughter at two in the morning!" roared Takeo Ishiyama. "Get in," he barked, pointing to the open door. "In!"

Jeremie and Ulrich exchanged glances. They couldn't exactly argue. The lights had gone out from Yumi's bedroom window; she was going to be a part of this mess, too. Sure enough, she was perched in an armchair in the living room. Her father slammed the door behind the boys and they hesitantly took a seat on the couch. Takeo remained standing.

"I want the truth," he said shortly. Jeremie gulped. The truth would have been fine under normal circumstances, but with a father involved, it was completely different. It would take one hell of a lie to pull this off.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko.

Chapter 12

"Why were you making such a commotion?" yelled Mr. Ishiyama. Jeremie and Ulrich kept their heads bowed and didn't answer. "Well? Yumi, did you know about this?"

"No, Dad," said Yumi, staring daggers at the two. "But I do know them. Unfortunately."

"You two look familiar," said Takeo, frowning. "You're those good-for-nothing friends of Yumi's, aren't you?"

"Uh, I suppose that's one way to put it," said Ulrich.

"And you decided to duke it out in front of my house, did you?" asked Mr. Ishiyama. "If you're fighting over my daughter like animals then don't waste your time."

"We weren't fighting over Yumi," said Jeremie quickly. "We weren't fighting at all...Ulrich overbalanced and knocked me over."

"If you're going to lie, put some effort into it," sneered Mr. Ishiyama. He walked over to the entertainment center and pulled out a few pieces of ripped white paper wedged between a shelf and various DVD's. "I've seen these blown out onto the sidewalk when I leave for work. Notes with pretty little poems and 'I love you's.' Jeremie, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Jeremie.

"It's clear to me that you've been trying to romance my daughter with these," said Takeo. "It's also quite obvious that Ulrich found out, and being Yumi's boyfriend, _for now_, decided he'd teach you a lesson. Thanks to you hooligans, unspeakable shame has been brought upon this house! What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"Sir, I can honestly say I did not write those letters," said Jeremie. "I have a girlfriend, and I wouldn't risk our relationship for anything. I love her."

"At your age you don't know what love is," scolded Mr. Ishiyama. Jeremie, Ulrich, and even Yumi flinched, but said nothing. An awkward silence reigned over the room for minutes that felt like hours.

"Daddy, could I talk to them alone?" asked Yumi. "I think I could persuade them."

"Absolutely not," said her father.

"They're a bit scared of you," said Yumi, biting her lip. "I want to find out what's going on as much as you do."

"I know what's going on," said Mr. Ishiyama, brandishing the torn up letters.

"I'm certain it wasn't Jeremie," said Yumi. "Please, they're my best friends, I can get them to talk."

Takeo stared at her, then sighed. "I will be back with tea in a few minutes," he declared. "I expect an answer when I return. A truthful one." He left the room and Yumi stood up. There was no question that she was his daughter.

"I'd love to know what crap is stored in those heads of yours, because it's definitely not brains," said Yumi coldly, folding her arms. Jeremie looked at Ulrich, silently starting a conversation with him.

_We should tell her._

_Tell her and you die._

_She loves you! She won't be angry if you tell her you love her too!_

_If you want to live to see Aelita, lie._

_You want me to lie to your girlfriend?_

_I'd do it for you._

_This is getting ridiculous._

"Are you just going to sit there?" asked Yumi.

"There is a very good explanation for this," said Jeremie.

"Great, let's hear it," said Yumi, pursing her lips.

"Well, the letters--" Ulrich started.

"How do you know about the letters?" asked Yumi.

"Er...that is an excellent question," said Ulrich lamely.

"And Jeremie, how do you fit into all of this?" asked Yumi.

"Another excellent question," said Jeremie. Yumi tossed one of the throw pillows nearby at his head.

"I'm wondering if I'm dreaming," muttered Yumi, shaking her head.

"Shaba laba ding dong," mumbled Ulrich. Yumi and Jeremie shot him queer stares until a soft ringtone rang out from Jeremie's pocket. He dug out his cellphone and answered.

"Hello?" Jeremie's face fell. "Great. Grab Odd and we'll meet you there. Love you, too."

"Xana?" asked Ulrich. Jeremie nodded.

"Let's go," said Jeremie, standing up.

"If you want my dad to think we're sneaking out to fool around, sure," said Yumi sarcastically.

"Ulrich and I have to go, Aelita needs protection and I need to get everyone on Lyoko," said Jeremie. "Can you stay here and make something up?"

"What am I supposed to say?" asked Yumi angrily. "Besides, I--"

"Yumi, what are they doing here?"

"Hiroki, go back to bed," said Yumi wearily, turning to her younger brother on the staircase.

"When Dad finds out you're sneaking boys in you're gonna be in so much trouble!" jeered Hiroki.

"He already knows they're here," said Yumi. "Them being the absolute numbskulls they are."

"We have these things called ears, Yumi," reminded Jeremie.

"Trade them in for some common sense," retorted Yumi. "What were you two doing, anyway?"

"Uh...I was taking a walk," said Jeremie. "Aelita made me to get off the computer. And Ulrich--"

"I was coming back from the movies," Ulrich jumped in quickly. "And...I thought he was William and he was going to try something. I kind of lost it and went after him. Sorry, Jeremie."

"Apology accepted," said Jeremie smoothly.

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" asked Yumi doubtfully.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to," said Jeremie, shrugging. "But it's the truth."

"Ulrich?" asked Yumi. "Look me in the eye and tell me that's the truth."

"Uh?" Ulrich felt her hand on his chin bringing his face up to see her. The soft glow from a nearby lamp illuminated her chocolate brown eyes. He couldn't lie to her when she looked at him like that. "I--"

A loud crash came from down the hall, resembling the sound of breaking china.

"Dad!" Yumi yelled, sprinting for the kitchen. She was thrown back into the room on her back by a jolt of lightening.

"Yumi!" Ulrich watched Takeo Ishiyama come barreling into the living room with a grunt. His eyes were flickering with a most notorious logo.

"Hiroki, go to your parents' bedroom and barricade the door," said Jeremie. "Hurry!"

"What's wrong with my dad?" asked Hiroki.

"Hiroki, go!" yelled Ulrich. "I'll help you pass the seventh level of Blaster Dragon Ninja Three if you do!"

Mr. Ishiyama lunged for Ulrich but missed, and Hiroki obeyed. Yumi staggered to her feet and opened the door, pointing outside. Ulrich felt Takeo's fist connect with his jaw.

"I knew you never liked me," said Ulrich, wincing at the pain.

"Bless that virus," muttered Yumi. One return to the past and her father wouldn't know a thing. _Then_ she could beat the truth out of Ulrich and Jeremie. "Come on, guys! Ulrich, what are you doing?"

"I thought you might take it the wrong way if I decked your dad!" shouted Ulrich. It was true, he hadn't thrown a single punch at Takeo, and wasn't looking too good.

"Unbelievable," Yumi yanked him by the back of his shirt out of the way of another lethal blow. "We have to get out of here!"

Yumi reached for the closest thing at hand, her mother's favorite vase, and crashed it over Mr. Ishiyama's head. He fell to the ground with a thud.

"That's how it's done," said Yumi triumphantly. "My mom and Hiroki should be okay. Come on."

Ulrich and Jeremie said nothing and started the routine dash to the factory. That didn't mean they were off the hook, however.

"So, is that really what happened, Ulrich?" asked Yumi. "It's pretty hard to mistake Jeremie for William."

"Yeah, but I guess jealousy was clouding my vision," said Ulrich, sighing. "Sorry."

"All that time I spent trying to make my dad like you, and you screw it up!" chided Yumi.

"He never liked me, Yumes," reminded Ulrich. "He won't remember anything, anyway."

"Fine, then how did you know about the letters?" asked Yumi.

"I told him," said Jeremie quickly, panting to keep up.

"Wait, how did you know about it?" asked Yumi.

"Alexandre has a crush on you," said Jeremie, snickering. "He asked me to look over one of those letters he wrote. I tried telling him about Ulrich, but he wouldn't listen. I felt obligated to let Romeo over here know."

"I have to say, I'm a bit hurt you tried to keep this from me," said Ulrich indignantly. Yumi's expression quickly turned to one of remorse.

"I thought you'd be upset," said Yumi softly.

"I was a little at first, but I can't really blame Alexandre for liking you," said Ulrich. He saw Jeremie shoot him a thumbs up and smiled. Yumi blushed.

"I'm sorry," Yumi apologized. "I should've told you."

"It's okay," said Ulrich, stopping in his tracks and pulling her closer. Her hair was a mess, her pajamas were wrinkled, she was half-asleep, and she was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She leaned in and met his lips, smelling of jasmine tea.

"Okay, guys, let's put our tongues away!" Jeremie clamped his hand on Ulrich's shoulder and pulled him out of the embrace. "We're almost at the factory. After the attack you can do whatever you want."

Yumi turned red as she went down the manhole into the sewers. Ulrich scowled at Jeremie, who raised an eyebrow.

"That was close," Ulrich muttered, grabbing his skateboard. "Thanks for backing me up."

"No problem," said Jeremie.

"We never break you and Aelita up, you know," said Ulrich.

"We don't make out during an attack," replied Jeremie.

"Point taken," said Ulrich. "I feel kind of weird, though. Like a part of me just died or something."

"That's what you get for lying," said Jeremie teasingly.

"Jeremie?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

* * *

Yumi stretched and pushed herself out of bed. "It's a big day today," she muttered, rubbing her eyes and shutting off her alarm clock.

Going through the usual To Do List in the morning, she hoped the events of two nights ago could be erased from her mind as they were her father's. She didn't completely buy Jeremie and Ulrich's story, but she didn't bring it up with either of them, still feeling guilty about hiding the love letters from Ulrich. Something just didn't seem right with their explanation.

There wasn't a doubt in her mind that the angels had been smiling on them that night. But once Xana was gone, they couldn't use a Return To The Past to fix whatever messes were made. And they might not be so lucky next time, whether the supercomputer was turned on or not.

"This had better not end up blowing up in my face," said Yumi, slipping her arms through her backpack.

She had never hated a Thursday as much as she did now.

* * *

Ulrich took a bite out of his corn dog and sat between Odd and Jeremie in the bleachers. The other students were cheering in hopes that the Kadic team would win the basketball game. Life was good. He and Yumi had never been better, mainly since Jeremie had canceled the idiotic plan of making her a secret admirer.

"Jeremie, what's the big deal about coming to the game?" asked Ulrich. "I'm surprised you're so ecstatic about sports."

"Aelita's never seen a game of basketball before," said Jeremie.

"And I insisted he come," chirped Aelita.

"Okay, and Odd, why do you have a camera?" asked Ulrich.

"You'll see," said Odd mischievously. Ulrich frowned. Something was up.

The double doors to the gymnasium opened and the cheerleaders came out, screaming in rhyme and waving their pom-poms, Sissi in the lead. Said girl winked at Ulrich, who pretended to gag. The routine didn't look quite right, though. Sissi seemed to be doing her very best to stand in front of another girl, who was hiding her face with her pom-poms. The only thing anyone could see was her black hair.

"A shy cheerleader?" asked Ulrich, surprised. "That's new."

"Sissi doesn't seem to like her," said Jeremie.

"She looks...a little like Yumi," said Ulrich, judging with the briefest of glimpses he could get of her face. "Where is Yumi, anyway?"

"Closer than you think," said Aelita.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ulrich. She shrugged.

Everyone else had noticed the mysterious rivalry between Sissi and the Unknown Cheerleader. Yumi wished they would keep their eyes on anyone else besides her. So far no one seemed to recognize her, and she planned on keeping it that way. Sissi sneered at her over her shoulder.

"Keep up!" she hissed.

"I'm doing my best!" said Yumi, ducking her head to hide her face.

"Do better!" snapped Sissi. Yumi bit her tongue and didn't reply.

"It's just like Sissi to pick a fight at the worst time," said Ulrich. "Does she think she's going to seem better by doing that?"

"Poor girl," said Aelita sympathetically. "I wonder who she is."

Yumi swore in Japanese when Sissi began correcting her again. She wasn't even doing anything wrong; Sissi was just trying to make her look bad.

"Stop it!" said Yumi. "I'm doing fine!"

"Keep your head up!" ordered Sissi. Yumi raised her chin and the pom-pom in front of her head. "Both arms, too!"

"Sissi, cut it out!" said Yumi.

Sissi groaned and turned completely around to straighten Yumi's arms, exposing her face. Yumi bit down hard on her lip and swallowed a scream. The gym was hushed until whispers spread like wildfire. She glared at Sissi, as if saying _Look what you did!_ Yumi glanced at the other girls and nodded, and they quickly finished the routine.

"Did...did you guys see what I just saw?" asked Ulrich slowly.

"What, Yumi cheerleading? Sure did!" said Odd, snapping instant photographs.

"Give me that!" Ulrich snatched the photos. No doubt, Yumi was in uniform. She had become a cheerleader, but why? "Odd, give me all of those photos."

"Why, so you can drool over them later?" asked Odd, grinning.

"No, so I can feed them to Kiwi," said Ulrich. "You are _not_ blackmailing Yumi."

"Who'd have thought Yumi was into cheerleading?" asked Jeremie innocently.

"She's very good, I wonder if she's been doing it long," said Aelita, smiling.

"I wonder why she didn't tell me," said Ulrich. "It explains why Sissi was acting so weird, though."

Yumi charged into the girl's locker room as soon as the game started. She went to the sink and splashed cold water on her face. She heard the door swing open and looked up, seeing Sissi's reflection in the mirror.

"What do you want?" asked Yumi, clutching both sides of the porcelain sink.

"If you can't take a little constructive criticism then you'll have to be replaced," said Sissi.

"_Constructive criticism?_" spat Yumi. "You spent half the time telling me how lousy I was instead of cheering! What is your problem?"

"I know why you really joined," said Sissi. "You're trying to get Ulrich to notice you."

"I don't need Ulrich to notice me," said Yumi. "We're best friend and a couple. He's noticed me."

"Like I haven't realized that?" asked Sissi darkly. "For your information, my Ulrich is only going out with you to make me jealous."

"Sissi, what do I have to do to make you understand?" asked Yumi exasperatedly. "He's not _your_ Ulrich! He doesn't care if you're jealous or not! And he's going out with me because...because..."

"Because why, huh?" asked Sissi. "What does he see in you?"

"I don't know!" shouted Yumi. "Just leave me alone!"

"Why would he pick you over me?" asked Sissi.

"Maybe it's because I'm not a selfish, conceited, stuck-up brat who's used half the rain forest to stuff herself!" shot back Yumi. "Look, I'll stick it out the rest of the game, but afterwards, I quit."

"Do you know how many strings I had to pull to get you on the squad?" asked Sissi angrily.

"What strings? You're in charge!" said Yumi. "And we both know I was the best out of anyone else who tried out. But I'm not going to let you humiliate me every game we have just so you can try to win my boyfriend over!"

"I...I..." Sissi stumbled over her words. Yumi turned to face her and folded her arms, waiting for her reply. When none came she sighed, willing herself to calm down.

"Come on," said Yumi, holding the door open for her.

"You know Ulrich is going to dump you for me, don't you?" asked Sissi. "I'm the obvious choice."

"Sure he will," said Yumi pleasantly. "Oh, and Sissi?"

"What?" asked Sissi, plastering on a smile for the crowd. Yumi did the same.

"Screw you."

It wasn't easy for Sissi to keep smiling after that remark.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko. Wish I did.

**A/N:** It's been one year since I joined FanFiction! Pretty strange year, too.

Chapter 13

Yumi felt a wave of gratitude crash over her as the game ended. Kadic lost by ten points, but it didn't matter. Ulrich had probably seen her, but that didn't matter either. The most comforting thing of all was the fact that she could retire her pom-poms and wouldn't have to put up with Sissi anymore than her friends did.

She leaned over the water fountain, rehydrating herself. She was caught by surprise when something warm went around her waist.

"Hey."

Yumi turned around in Ulrich's arms and smiled meekly. "Hi," she said, hugging him.

"You're pretty good," said Ulrich.

"Uh...thanks?" Yumi didn't expect him to say that.

"No, really, you are," said Ulrich. "You look nice in the uniform, too." Then again, that didn't mean much coming from him. He would think she looked nice wearing a garbage bag and snowshoes.

"Thanks," said Yumi, blushing slightly.

"So, cheerleading, huh?" asked Ulrich. "I didn't know you were into it."

"I'm not!" said Yumi quickly. "I'm quitting."

"Then why'd you join?" asked Ulrich.

"College," the word sprang out of her mouth before she could stop it. "I thought having it on my record could help me, since my grades aren't doing so hot right now. But I can't take much more of Sissi's dictatorship."

"This must be the shortest cheerleading career I've ever seen," said Ulrich, smirking. Yumi smacked him in the shoulder.

"Very funny," said Yumi.

"Well, in celebration of our defeat and your resignation, why don't we grab a pizza?" asked Ulrich. "My treat."

"Sounds great," said Yumi, nodding. "Put onions on it and you die, though."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Ulrich promised, smiling.

* * *

"I feel like I should be wearing a letterman's jacket," said Ulrich, taking a glug from his soda.

"Why?" asked Yumi.

"In all the movies the cheerleader is with the quarterback," said Ulrich.

"If it's between you and the school quarterback, I pick you," said Yumi, popping a piece of pepperoni in her mouth. "No contest."

"Do you enjoy trying to make me blush?" asked Ulrich, his face heating up.

"A little bit," answered Yumi.

"You're cruel," joked Ulrich. Yumi leaned over and locked her lips with his. He pressed a hand to the back of her head and deepened it. She heard the grumbling from the other people in the building at the show of affection, groaned, and pulled back. Ignoring the many suggestions to get a room, Ulrich grinned. "Okay, maybe the right word is devious."

"I'll take it," said Yumi. "So, you're really okay with the whole cheerleading thing?"

"It's your decision, not mine," said Ulrich, shrugging. "I feel like you've got a whole other life going on, though. Secret admirers, cheerleading, what next? You're a jewel thief, too?"

"If it comes to that, I'll let you know," promised Yumi, grinning. "I propose a toast."

"What to?" asked Ulrich curiously.

"To...making Sissi look like a fool in front of the entire school," said Yumi, smirking. They clinked cans and drank.

"To pizza without onions," said Ulrich, smiling. Again, they drank.

"To each other."

They drank to the last drop.

* * *

Ulrich tore his eyes away from his history book when his phone lit up next to him. Not that he could hear it ring, with Odd blaring his music. Normally Ulrich would have ignored the call, but it was Yumi.

"Hello?" Ulrich gestured for Odd to turn it down. Odd sighed, mouthing the word "loverboy," and channeled his music through a set of headphones.

"They're at it again," said Yumi dully without introduction.

"Oh," said Ulrich. He knew what that meant. "You want to talk about it?"

"Yeah," said Yumi softly. Ulrich pushed his homework off his bed and reclined on the pillow, giving her his full attention. "Hiroki is sleeping over at a friend's house."

"That's good," said Ulrich. "Any idea what they're going on about?"

"Not really," said Yumi. "They're mostly yelling incoherently. Probably about money."

"Is it bad?" asked Ulrich.

"Worse than usual," answered Yumi flatly.

"I'm really sorry, Yumi," said Ulrich sincerely.

"It's not your fault," said Yumi. Ulrich could hear her voice cracking, and was sure she had started crying. The shouting in the background was definitely the cause. He had never been able to listen to the fighting before.

"Look, Yumi, I gotta go for a few minutes, but I'll call you right back, okay?" said Ulrich. "For now, put on some music and read a magazine to tune it out. My parents don't get along either, and it always worked for me before I went to Kadic." Yumi agreed, thanked him for the tip, and hung up.

"Where are you going?" asked Odd loudly. Ulrich waved and walked out the door.

* * *

Yumi was grinding her teeth as the yelling grew louder. Not even an old CD of the Pop Rock Progressives could drown out the ruckus. She focused her eyes on the closest reading material she could find: a dictionary. Not incredibly entertaining, but she had already gotten through the A's. Her cellphone buzzed and she answered it quickly.

"It's me," said Ulrich.

"Hey," said Yumi gratefully.

"Go to your window," instructed Ulrich. "I have a surprise for you."

"I hate surprises, you know that," said Yumi, but complying with his demand.

"Open the window and look down," Ulrich continued. Yumi obeyed and dropped the phone when she saw his grinning face looking up at her from just beneath the window frame.

"What are you doing?" hissed Yumi. Ulrich ended the call and shrugged.

"You've been crying," said Ulrich, noting the shining streaks on her cheeks. Yumi turned away and started rubbing her face. "I thought I might distract you from the fight."

"You weren't wrong," said Yumi, opening the window wider. "Get in, it's cold out there."

Ulrich swiftly scaled the rest of the rain gutter and jumped into the room. Yumi nearly choked him in a hug, but released him when he started sputtering for oxygen.

"I didn't bring a flower this time, sorry," said Ulrich sheepishly.

"I don't care," replied Yumi, shutting the window. "What happened to your vertigo?"

"Pr--" Ulrich stopped himself from uttering the word "practice." "Some things are more important."

Yumi couldn't refrain herself from embracing him again. He smiled and fastened his arms around her back, reluctant to let her go. She pressed her head into his shoulder, trying to block the sound from the living room.

"If they catch you here, my dad will throw you out the window you came in," warned Yumi.

"I don't intend on staying," assured Ulrich. "But they can't fight all night. I just want to be here for you."

"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me," murmured Yumi. A long string of Japanese words reached Ulrich's ears, and although he couldn't tell what they meant, he could sense the anger behind them. "I wish they'd just shut up."

"They're probably under a lot of stress," said Ulrich. "From what I've heard, being an adult isn't easy. You know they love you, right?"

"Yeah," said Yumi, biting her lip. "I just...Sometimes I wonder if they still love each other."

"I've seen them together, and they're crazy about each other," said Ulrich soothingly. "Your parents are venting, that's all."

Yumi sat down with her back against the wall under the windowsill and pulled Ulrich down with her. She was shaking. This was one of the few times he had ever seen her so vulnerable. She was usually strong and reserved, seeing her this way was slightly off-putting. Nonetheless, he held her tight as she sobbed almost silently into him.

The bellowing downstairs morphed into weeping from Mrs. Ishiyama. Mr. Ishiyama was silent, or at least, so quiet neither Yumi nor Ulrich could hear him. Yumi had organized herself, and was still enfolded in Ulrich's grasp. He was whispering to her, doing his very best to divert her attention to other topics. She went along with it until a loud honk from outside startled them. Yumi got onto her knees and peered out the window, then gasped.

"Ulrich, I don't think they're venting anymore," she said. Ulrich looked out over the sidewalk and saw a taxi by the curb. Mr. Ishiyama walked out with a suitcase and got in, not looking back. All was hushed in the rest of the house.

"Yumi..." Ulrich wasn't sure what to say. Yumi struggled to keep the fresh tears from flowing. He rubbed her back tenderly, that being the only thing he could think of to help. She flung herself at him, nearly knocking him on his back.

"Why?" Yumi's question was muffled against Ulrich's shirt. "Why did he have to go?"

"I...I don't know," Ulrich muttered. This shouldn't have been happening to Yumi. Not with the chaos they already had in their lives. She had never done anything to deserve this. "Yumi, it'll be okay."

"How?" asked Yumi bitterly. "How can anything be okay after this?"

"He came back before," said Ulrich. "M-Maybe he'll come back again."

"What if he doesn't?" asked Yumi. Ulrich couldn't supply her an answer. All he could do was grip her firmly. "What are we supposed to do then?"

"You can only keep going," said Ulrich. "If there's anyone who can make it past this, it's you."

Yumi wished he had never seen her like this, weak and defenseless. But at the same time, she wanted nothing more than to stay enveloped in his arms and let the rest of the world melt away.

"Yumi, I'm going to have to leave soon, but I want you to call me if you want to talk, okay?" asked Ulrich, pressing a kiss on her lips. She gave his ribs a squeeze and nodded against his chest. "I'll stay a few more minutes. I don't want your mom to catch us like this after what just happened."

When Ulrich was certain Yumi had collected herself enough to get some sleep, he kissed her goodbye and left the same way he came, swearing to himself that he would do whatever it took to make things easier for her.

* * *

"Say it."

"No."

"Say it."

"Jeremie, I'm not doing it!"

"What's the harm?"

"It's stupid! There's no point!"

"Just say it!"

"I...love...you."

"Ulrich, I'm flattered, but you're not my type."

"Odd, you aren't funny."

Ulrich glared at Jeremie, who had hung a large poster of Yumi over his bed. Why he had to tell it he loved it was a mystery, but Jeremie insisted.

"Where did you even get that picture?" asked Ulrich.

"I found it in your journal," said Odd brightly.

"You _what?_" Ulrich roared.

"Relax, I didn't read it!" defended Odd quickly. "I just opened it and shook it until a picture of Yumi fell out. I already know you love her, I don't need to see it in writing."

"I had it blown up," said Jeremie. "You're going to say I love you to it when you wake up and before you go to bed."

"Because...?" Ulrich waited impatiently for him to fill in the blank.

"If you can't bring yourself to say it on the spot, then maybe it will slip out when you're with her after saying it so much," answered Jeremie. "Odd will make sure you follow this schedule."

"What if Yumi sees it?" asked Ulrich.

"Don't let her in here," said Jeremie. "At least I'm not making you say it to a melon."

"Odd would eat it first," said Ulrich, smirking.

"I would not!" retorted Odd.

"This is still stupid," muttered Ulrich.

"But it's useful," said Jeremie. "It's three syllables, Ulrich. It's not that hard."

"You know, Odd and I never made you do something like this," said Ulrich.

"I wasn't as hard-headed as you," replied Jeremie. "Say it again."

"I love you," said Ulrich, looking back at the poster. Yumi was smiling and waving at the camera. The corners of his mouth tugged upward.

"Make it personal," said Jeremie.

"I love you, Yumi," rephrased Ulrich.

"Good," said Jeremie. "Remember, once in the morning and once at night."

Ulrich scowled but chose not to argue. Somehow Jeremie's logic actually made sense. Not that he'd admit that to the genius. He sighed and flopped back on his bed. Jeremie said his goodbyes and left to work on the antivirus.

"I love you, Yumi," murmured Ulrich, kicking off his shoes and submitting to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko

Chapter 14

Yumi managed to grin when she saw her friends the next day. The only one who's eyes held any sympathy was Ulrich, which she assumed meant he had kept quiet about what happened.

"Hi, Yumi!" greeted Aelita cheerfully.

"Morning, everyone," said Yumi. She sat down next to Ulrich on the bench in the courtyard and leaned against him to whisper in his ear. "Thanks."

"No problem," he replied, smiling. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," said Yumi.

"Hey, Yumi, can you hook me up with a cheerleader?" asked Odd hopefully.

"No, Odd," said Yumi, rolling her eyes. "I quit."

Aelita glared at her, and she shrugged. "You were really good," said Aelita.

"And Sissi was really horrible," snapped Yumi. "Besides, I should save my energy for Lyoko."

"You're going to let Sissi bully you?" asked Jeremie.

"I just don't want to deal with her any more than I have to," said Yumi simply.

"And it cuts into your time with Ulrich," finished Odd teasingly.

"Lay off," said Ulrich firmly.

"Class is about to start," said Jeremie, checking his watch. "We better get going."

* * *

Yumi couldn't concentrate on Ms. Hertz's lecture. She was reeling from the events of last night. Her mother was still crying when she had left for school, and they hadn't heard anything from her father. Yumi was willing to bet he was staying at a friend's house like last time. Hiroki wasn't aware of what was going on, and she didn't know how to break it to him.

When Ulrich came to see her, everything changed. He couldn't stop what was happening, but he softened the blow more than anything or anyone ever could. Had it not been for him, she would have been up all night, cursing her dad for leaving them, and wouldn't even be here at school today. But Ulrich made her see the best of things. He had that effect on her.

Her mom still had no idea about his visit, and she was grateful for that. Mrs. Ishiyama didn't need to know her daughter was sneaking her boyfriend into her room late at night, what with everything else going on. She refused to talk about Yumi's dad at breakfast, saying he had left for work early.

Yumi wrote down the homework, feeling irritable. She was pretty sure she had been sending out a "don't mess with me" vibe all day. The only person she felt like talking to was Ulrich. Anyone else would have their head bitten off if they bugged her for too long.

* * *

"I can't believe you quit!" said Claire loudly. Kadic classes were over, but Flirting classes had just started.

"It's not like it changed anything!" said Yumi. "Ulrich didn't say anything about love and neither did I!"

"It was a good idea," defended Camille.

"It was a terrible idea," retorted Yumi. "And I'm sure your next one is even worse."

"We'll see," said Jean. "We're going to let things cool down for now, and see how things go for you and Ulrich."

"Really?" asked Yumi, smiling.

"Just a day or two," warned Aelita, running a hand through her hair. "Don't get too comfortable."

"Aelita, _what is that on your finger_?" asked Yumi, pointing to the silver ring on Aelita's left ring finger. The ends of the ring were slanted and connected by a small pink gem. Aelita smiled.

"Jeremie gave it to me this morning," said Aelita. "He said it was a promise ring."

Shrieks rang out through the room, causing Yumi and Aelita to cover their ears. Aelita's hand was jerked out with her palm down to display the ring, and "ooh!"s and "ah!"s were exclaimed. Aelita sent a helpless look in Yumi's direction.

"Okay, let her breathe!" ordered Yumi, shooing the girls away.

"If I tell them it's engraved, will we go deaf?" asked Aelita quietly.

"Probably," replied Yumi, saying it only loud enough to be heard by Aelita over the giggles.

"What did he say when he gave it to you?" demanded Naomi.

"He was blushing and stammering a lot, it was hard to understand him," said Aelita. "But he said he promised to love and respect me, and to be there for me. Forever."

"Aw!" squealed Melanie.

"Aelita, do you know what a promise ring is?" hissed Yumi.

"Jeremie tried explaining it, but I'm still a little confused," whispered Aelita. "He seemed very happy when I put it on, and it's really nice, and I felt dumb asking too many questions."

"Girls, I think the lesson is done for the day," said Yumi, gesturing the cooing girls towards the door. "Come on, out you go."

Her mentors whined and complained, but left all the same. Yumi locked the door and turned around with a large grin, then crushed her bewildered friend in a hug.

"Your first promise ring!" said Yumi excitedly. "And hopefully your last."

"Jeremie does what he promised everyday, how does a ring make any difference?" asked Aelita.

"It's sort of a token of affection," said Yumi. "And it makes a public statement of his promise."

"Do guys usually give them to their girlfriends?" asked Aelita.

"To the ones they really care about," answered Yumi. "Typically not this early in the relationship, but I'd expect Jeremie to do this early."

"Am I supposed to give him a ring?" asked Aelita.

"You could, but he wouldn't want you to spend any money on him," Yumi replied.

"I don't want him spending any money on me, though," said Aelita, staring at the ring thoughtfully. "Promise rings aren't expensive, are they?"

"Some aren't," said Yumi, taking a closer inspection of the jewel. "This one looks top-notch, however. Classic Jeremie. He's going to spoil you rotten if he keeps this up."

"Should I give it back?" asked Aelita worriedly.

"No!" blurted out Yumi. "You'll break his heart if you do that!"

"Nothing is ever straightforward with Earth," muttered Aelita. "What else do these rings represent?"

"Commitment, although anyone with eyes could see how devoted he is to you," said Yumi, smirking. "In some cases it's a promise to propose to you when you're older. Did he mention anything about that?"

"No, not that I heard," said Aelita.

"Well, did he put the ring on that particular finger?" asked Yumi.

"I did," said Aelita, almost proudly. "It's the finger for a wedding ring, right?" Yumi nodded. "And a husband is a romantic partner, right?" Again, Yumi nodded. "Jeremie's my romantic partner, so it seems only logical to wear it there. He turned bright red when I did."

"That's Jeremie," said Yumi, beaming. "Anyway, you're young, you shouldn't bother with marriage now."

"Has Ulrich ever talked about giving you a promise ring?" asked Aelita.

"No," said Yumi, blushing.

"He should, he loves you," said Aelita.

"Well, ah, I..." Yumi mumbled. "Let's see that engraving."

Aelita reluctantly slid off the ring and handed it to Yumi. Etched in elegant cursive were the words _Heart and soul, I'm yours_. Yumi smiled and gave it back.

"He really is crazy about you," said Yumi. Aelita nodded, and Yumi was certain the grin would never come off her face.

"I know," murmured Aelita. She was as pink as the gem set in the ring. "He's amazing."

"I'm gonna get out of here before you get all mushy," said Yumi. Aelita stuck her tongue out and waved goodbye.

"I'm gonna go find Jeremie," said Aelita, moving off her bed. "You're meeting Ulrich at the park, right?"

"Yep, I think I'm late," said Yumi, slinging her backpack over her shoulders.

"Have fun," said Aelita, a strange look in her eyes. Yumi noticed but said nothing, assuming she was contemplating Jeremie's gift.

* * *

Ulrich stretched his arms as he waited for Yumi, anxious to start sparring. Something about it exhilarated him. When he was limbered up he took a glug of water from his sports bottle and leaned his back against a tree. His ears picked up the sounds of footsteps and smiled when he saw a raven-haired girl enter the clearing. The smile was wiped clean away when he saw her face.

"Ulrich, dear!"

"Sissi, what do you want?" asked Ulrich.

"I've got two tickets to the Subsonics concert tonight, wanna come?" asked Sissi.

"Really?" asked Ulrich. "Sounds like fun, sure."

"Great!" cried Sissi, throwing her arms around him. He was quick to detach himself from her.

"I didn't say with you," said Ulrich. Sissi pouted and turned red with anger. "Ask Herve, it'll make his year."

"That nerd isn't boyfriend material!" snapped Sissi.

"I won't be your boyfriend, Sissi," said Ulrich firmly.

"I'm better than Yumi!" retorted Sissi.

"Hate to break it to you, but no, you aren't," said Ulrich. "Move, please. I'm waiting for Yumi."

"Anyone could tell you want me," said Sissi, extending her hand for his face. Ulrich caught her wist before she could touch him.

"Arrested? Of course," snarled Ulrich. "How kind of you to offer."

"Ulrich, dear, sometimes you over-play too hard to get," said Sissi. "You're going to make me think you really don't care about me."

"I must be doing something right," said Ulrich.

"You're just worried about opening up," said Sissi. "I'll help you see there's nothing be be afraid of!"

Without warning she weaved one hand through his hair and pushed his head down to meet her lips. He instinctively stiffened when he was too surprised to do much else. Before he could make another move she pulled away and clasped her hands behind her back, grinning pleasantly. Ulrich thought he saw a flash of black behind a tree, but it was gone the next second, and he was more concerned with Sissi than anything else right now.

"If you were a guy, you'd be knocked out right now," said Ulrich angrily. "but I was raised to never hit a girl."

"You didn't like it?" asked Sissi, frowning.

"No!" yelled Ulrich. "The only girl I ever want to kiss is Yumi! Do me a favor and just stay away from me."

"But, Ulrich!" sputtered Sissi.

"I'm serious," Ulrich cut her off. "I will never feel the same way about you or anyone else as I do Yumi. Get it through your head! Goodbye."

With that, he stormed away from the girl. Sparring could wait today.

* * *

Don't be jealous. Don't be jealous. _Don't be jealous!_

That was Yumi's mantra as she sprinted away from the park. The worst ending to the worst day. She wouldn't be sparring with Ulrich today, but she wanted to hurt him in more than one place right now. After she was through with him, Sissi's body would never be found.

She panted and collapsed on a bus stop bench. Why did everything have to go to Hell now? Xana's attacks were getting worse than ever, her grades were plummeting, her dad walked out on the family, and the one guy she thought she could have a future with decides to cheat on her with her worst enemy.

"Don't be jealous," muttered Yumi. She couldn't help it. When Ulrich saw William putting the moves on her, she was trying to get away. He didn't even make an attempt when Sissi was all over him. Whether or not he enjoyed it, she couldn't tell. Sissi's giant head was blocking his face. But he didn't push her away; she was the one who broke it off.

Yumi reached for her eyes and was shocked to find them dry. She was out of tears, apparently. Besides, she didn't want to cry anymore, especially over a jerk like Ulrich.

She sighed. He wasn't a jerk. Jerk wasn't the right word. She still cared about him. It would just be so much easier if every other fricking girl on the fricking planet didn't care about him, too. For now, she had to get her mind off him.

Yumi pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and sent a text message to Aelita, alerting her teacher of what had happened. Then she put the device away, stretched, and left for home. Nothing like getting a head start on homework, after all.

* * *

Aelita heard the beeping from her mobile and dug it out from her backpack. She was sitting on Jeremie's bed with Odd while Jeremie worked on the computer. They had been discussing different tactics for Yumi and Ulrich's classes.

"A text from Yumi," announced Aelita. "Ulrich plus Sissi in the park. Just saw them. Talk to you later."

"Sissi did her job, then," said Jeremie, turning around in his seat to face the two. "Maybe a little too well."

"Who knew Yumi would be more jealous than Ulrich?" asked Odd.

"She seemed a little distant today," commented Aelita. "That might have something to do with it. I'm still surprised Sissi agreed when I asked her to kiss Ulrich."

"Sissi would have been glad to do it no matter who asked her. I'm guessing by Yumi's message she didn't stick around to confront him," said Jeremie.

"Well, they're having their first fight, just as planned," said Aelita.

"If they bottle up their feelings it'll become a messier fight than it needs to be," said Odd.

"Let's just see how things play out," said Jeremie. "We'll need to know how they get through this."

"If things get ugly we'll have to step in," said Aelita.

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," said Odd. "That last resort is for emergencies, like you two."

"It's called tough love," said Jeremie, shrugging. "And it's the only completely fool-proof plan there is. But you're right, which is why we won't enact it unless we absolutely have to."


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko

**A/N: **This chapter is dedicated to Josh, who tricked me into letting him read my work on this site. Here's hoping he likes what he sees.

Chapter 15

Yumi threw herself on her bed, frustrated beyond belief. Hiroki had just gotten home and wondered aloud where their father was. She tried telling him the truth, but he started yelling when he didn't like the news. Soon it turned into a screaming match and their mother had to take over for her.

Aelita hadn't replied to her text but it was just as well. She didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. Her anger hadn't flared or receded, but it was there. She wasn't sure it was directed entirely at Ulrich. Sissi had never been high on her list, but now she had made rock bottom.

The optimistic side of her clung to the hope that this was a giant misunderstanding. Like when Jeremie saw Theo kiss Aelita for the first time. But Aelita fought Theo off. Ulrich did nothing. If he really loved her, he would have done _something_.

Would he even come clean about it? Or did he plan on hiding it from her? She'd like to think he'd be honest, but he hadn't said anything in the half hour since it happened. She hadn't even spoken to him. Her muscles felt oddly excited. She should have been sparring with Ulrich right now. Yumi was itching to aim a blow at him, and for him not to block it.

Yumi knew that there had to be some kind of explanation. Maybe not one she liked, but there had to be one. If Ulrich didn't come to her, she'd cool off and confront him. But she was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another.

* * *

"Sissi kissed you?" asked Odd, wide-eyed.

"Yes," spat Ulrich.

"When do you plan on telling Yumi?" asked Jeremie.

"I have to tell her?" asked Ulrich incredulously.

"Of course you have to tell her!" said Jeremie, staring at him like it was completely obvious. "You can't keep this to yourself!"

"Oh, come on!" replied Ulrich pleadingly. "What's the point in telling her?"

"You wouldn't be able to handle the guilt," said Odd simply. "You're too much of a good guy."

"She's just going to get angry," said Ulrich.

"You'd want her to tell you if William kissed her, wouldn't you?" asked Jeremie.

"Yeah, so I could beat him to a pulp," answered Ulrich casually.

"You have to tell her, and soon," said Jeremie. "It's better that way."

"Fine," said Ulrich. "Did you ever tell Aelita about Taelia?"

"That's a cheap shot," muttered Jeremie, turning red as he remembered the name.

"Did you?" asked Odd interestedly.

"Well, no, not yet," said Jeremie slowly. "But she wouldn't understand."

"Explain it to her, then," replied Ulrich, smirking. "She'd love to hear how you nearly got arrested and blew our secret over another girl."

"A girl you guys thought was Aelita," retorted Jeremie. "Besides, Taelia left Kadic months before I materialized Aelita. It doesn't matter anymore."

"It was as plain as her pink hair you assumed she was Aelita," said Ulrich. "We don't blame you for that, we just blame you for the police showing up."

"Anyway, tell Yumi," Jeremie quickly redirected the conversation. "If you don't and she finds out from someone else, she'll think more is going on then what actually happened."

"And don't you dare tell her by calling her," warned Odd. "Go find her in person."

"Great," growled Ulrich.

"What are you afraid of?" asked Jeremie. "It's not your fault."

"Nothing," said Ulrich. It wasn't that he was afraid, he just didn't want to give her any bad news while she was having a hard time. They were right, though. The longer he waited the less likely he was to admit it. "I'll see you guys later."

"Good luck!" said Odd brightly.

* * *

"I'll get it!" called out Yumi, moving for the door when someone knocked on it. Anything to distract her from algebra.

"Hey, Yumi. Got a minute to talk?"

Maybe she should have narrowed down from anything. A sheepish Ulrich was standing on her doorstep. She managed to keep a straight face and nodded, shutting the door behind her on the way out.

"Something wrong?" asked Yumi.

"Just something I wanted to tell you," said Ulrich.

"Fire away," said Yumi, following him down the steps and onto the sidewalk.

"You missed our sparring session," said Ulrich casually.

"Oh, something came up," said Yumi. "I couldn't get out of it. Sorry."

"No, no, it's all right," said Ulrich quickly. The last thing he needed to hear from her was an apology.

"Ulrich, I saw you and Sissi!" It blurted out of Yumi's mouth without hesitance. The moment it did, she regretted it. Ulrich's eyes widened at her outburst.

"Oh," was all he could think of to say. Yumi's mouth seemed to develop a mind of its own, because it shot off again.

"If you wanted to go out with Sissi, why did you ask me to be your girlfriend?" asked Yumi. Ulrich gaped at her.

"Yumi, I can't stand Sissi, you know that!" replied Ulrich.

"You looked pretty tolerable of her this afternoon!" spat Yumi.

"Look, I don't know who you think you saw, but it can't have been me!" said Ulrich.

"Did you kiss her or not?" asked Yumi, fuming.

"She kissed me, but it didn't mean a thing!" said Ulrich. Yumi rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"I've heard that line used a hundred times, Ulrich," said Yumi coldly. "I just never thought I'd hear it from you."

"Yumi, listen to me, I want to be with you!" said Ulrich, grabbing her shoulders. "You think I'd throw away what we have for Sissi?"

"If that's true why didn't you do anything when she started kissing you?" asked Yumi, hating the fact that he was so tall now. It made it harder to look him in the eye without her neck hurting.

"I don't get along with my dad, but we both agree that you never hit a girl," said Ulrich. "My only exception is if she's possessed by Xana. That was the one thing I wanted to do to Sissi, and I was using my energy to keep my fists under control!"

"You took your sweet time pushing yourself away!" said Yumi angrily.

"I was surprised!" yelled Ulrich. "Sissi's forward, but I never thought she'd go that far! It felt like kissing Kiwi!"

"Sure it did," muttered Yumi. "Ulrich, I care about you, a lot, but I can't take seeing you with another girl."

"I wasn't with another girl!" said Ulrich. "It was _Sissi!_"

"And you know I can't stand her, but you still let her kiss you anyway!" retorted Yumi.

"I didn't let her do anything!" said Ulrich, getting more frustrated by the minute. "She came onto me!"

"Yeah, right!" shouted Yumi, shrugging his hands away from her shoulders and storming away.

"Wait!" Ulrich felt like smacking himself for letting this turn into an argument. The next three words came out in barely more than a whisper. "I love you."

Despite how quiet they were, the words reached Yumi's ears. She froze, only a few meters away from Ulrich. Yumi turned on her heel and inquired sharply, "What did you say?"

Ulrich's throat went dry and his head clouded with thoughts. Jeremie and Odd were right. He hated admitting it, but they were right. Their stupid plan was working. As he processed this, his mouth took control, much like Yumi's had.

"I said wait," Ulrich started walking towards her.

"No, after that," said Yumi, not moving any closer or further from him.

"I didn't say anything," said Ulrich blankly. "You must have been hearing things. Just like you were seeing things."

Yumi turned red with fury and she resisted the urge to slap him silly. She managed to keep her temper as she turned away from him, heading back to her house. How dare he! He was in hot water as it is, he was in no position to judge her senses!

"Yumi!"

Ulrich's plea was replied with the slam of her front door. He was halfway up the steps, ready to knock until someone opened up, before he realized no one would. He'd made the mistake of making her angry, a mistake he'd made countless times in the past. He should have known better. He should have gone about it a different way. He should have realized what Sissi was after in the first place.

Ulrich groaned and trudged down the sidewalk. If there was anything he had learned from their previous arguments, there was first the cooling down period where they avoided each other studiously, then usually something along the lines of a Xana attack happened, forcing them to work together, then a few muttered words that formed a half-baked apology were spoken, until they finally got over it. Ulrich didn't want to wait that long. But what could he do?

* * *

"Jeremie?"

Aelita poked her head through the doorway to find Jeremie sound asleep on his keyboard in front of the antivirus equations. She smiled, glad to see him taking a break, even if he didn't mean to. The cellphone next to him started ringing loudly, and she quickly answered it before he could wake up.

"Hello?" murmured Aelita.

"Aelita? What are you doing picking up Jeremie's phone?" asked Ulrich. "Wait, never mind. Can you put him on?"

"He's busy," said Aelita firmly. Jeremie deserved a rest.

"It's an emergency," said Ulrich tensely. Aelita sighed.

"Hold on," replied Aelita, setting the phone down. "Jeremie, wake up."

The blonde didn't move. Aelita shook him gently by the shoulders, snapped her fingers in front of his face, and called out his name a few more times, but each attempt failed. Finally, she tilted his head up and caressed his lips with her own. His mouth woke up before his brain, and only when she pulled away did he open his eyes.

"Am I in Heaven?" asked Jeremie, yawning.

"I don't know how you can flirt when you've just woken up," responded Aelita.

"I wasn't flirting," said Jeremie, grinning. She blushed.

"Ulrich wants to talk to you," said Aelita, handing him the phone.

"'Lo?" answered Jeremie, rubbing his eyes. "Huh? Well, it's natural she's going to be mad...Don't get angry, it's Sissi...I know that, but you didn't break my heart...Yes, you still have a shot with Yumi...Look, I warned you, if you didn't make your move soon, we'd have to take control...Figure it out. Bye."

"What happened?" asked Aelita.

"They--" Jeremie was cut off by Aelita's beeping phone. The caller ID showed Yumi's number. "There's your answer."

"Hello," chirped Aelita. "Why?...Oh, Yumi, I'm so sorry...We'll go over the details later, okay? Then we'll meet with the girls...To help you patch things up with Ulrich! You love him, don't you?...And you don't like being angry with him, do you?...And do you really believe he would hurt you like that on purpose?...Well, you're going to have to find a way to talk with him about it. And I mean _talk, _not_ yell. _If you don't talk to him, you're never going to get him to say 'I love you.' Yes, he loves you! I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"You think we should go for the last resort?" asked Jeremie. Aelita shrugged.

"We might not need to," said Aelita. "Jeremie, should we feel guilty about this? We did cause the fight."

"If it weren't for us, they never would have gotten together," reminded Jeremie. "We can fix it."

"Since when are you an optimist?" asked Aelita.

"I've come to realize things have a way of working out for the best," said Jeremie simply. He stretched his arms and turned back to the computer. Aelita rolled her eyes.

"If you fall asleep again, wouldn't you rather do so on your pillow?" asked Aelita, running a finger over the red marks on his cheek.

"I won't be falling asleep again," said Jeremie determinedly.

"Isn't that what you thought last time?" asked Aelita, smirking.

"Aren't you full of answers?" asked Jeremie, smiling. Aelita bent down, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and planting a kiss on his cheek. "I'll definitely stay awake if you keep doing that."

"I think I will," said Aelita, tightening her grip on him.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I disclaim any rights to Code Lyoko.

Chapter 16

"We give you a cooling off period and you get into a fight with him?!"

It was an hour after Yumi's meeting with Ulrich. Aelita had called an emergency lesson in her dorm.

"It's _his_ fault!" Yumi lashed out at Emily.

"Yumi, Ulrich is one of the most attractive guys at this school," said Naomi, massaging her temples in frustration. "Girls are going to pine for him whether he's your boyfriend or not. Just because Sissi was stupid enough to act on the attraction doesn't mean he's about to ditch you!"

"Besides, you aren't as mad at him as you are at yourself," said Aelita casually. Yumi swallowed a gasp. She would never admit to it, but Aelita was right. Yumi didn't know why she was angry with herself, but she was.

"And you're partially blaming yourself for this, aren't you?" prodded Aelita. "Even though you had nothing to do with it, something you did must have been wrong if Sissi kissed him, right?"

Yumi nodded slowly. It always caught her by surprise just how insightful Aelita was when it came to human nature.

"Yumi, you could beat him within an inch of his life and he'd still think you're perfect," said Aelita, her face hard. "You may not agree, but I've seen it in his eyes when he's staring at you. You didn't do anything wrong. _It was all Sissi!_"

"How do you know?" asked Yumi shrewdly. Although Aelita made sense, she was still furious. Though at what precisely, she didn't know.

"If it wasn't your fault, and it wasn't his fault, who's else could it have been?" countered Aelita. "It wasn't Ulrich's fault, I can guarantee it."

"Why would he kiss someone like Sissi, anyway?" asked Azra. "Everyone in the school knows he despises her."

"I'd say take a day to mull this over, but I'm worried you're going to kill Ulrich by morning," said Aelita dryly. "I know you're still peeved, though, and for that I blame your pride."

"Remember, once you make up with him, you'll be a stronger couple than before," said Heidi brightly. Her face fell at Yumi's brooding expression. "Okay, so we can't cheer you up. There'll be a giant smile on your face once you work it out with Ulrich."

"Are we done here?" asked Yumi, frowning. It wasn't like she _wanted _to be angry. She just was. She realized it wasn't fair to anyone, but since when was being a teenage girl ever fair?

"We obviously aren't getting through to you," said Emily exasperatedly. "Dismissed."

* * *

"Thank you, Rosa."

"No problem, sweetie," said the kind lunch lady, handing Aelita the package of snacks and sandwiches.

_Jeremie is going to eat something whether he likes it or not_, though Aelita determinedly. She saw Ulrich coming through the doors of the cafeteria and waved. His face was washed over with relief and he waved back urgently.

"Glad you're here!" said Ulrich, pulling out a chair for her at the gang's usual table.

"Something wrong?" asked Aelita innocently.

"Yumi hasn't told you about...?" Ulrich faltered, not knowing how to put it.

"Oh, that," said Aelita casually.

"Right," said Ulrich, nodding. "Why is she so mad?"

"Well, you were kissing her rival," pointed out Aelita. "How would you feel if she kissed William?"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" defended Ulrich.

"Have you told her that?" asked Aelita.

"Of course I have, but she doesn't believe me!" said Ulrich. Rosa's eyebrows raised at the loudness of his voice on the other side of the lunch counter. He waved sheepishly and looked down.

"Maybe she would if she knew how you really felt about her," replied Aelita. Ulrich groaned, and she sighed. "All right, do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

"There's good news?" asked Ulrich. Aelita nodded solemnly. "Save that for last."

"She's still enraged," said Aelita. "At you, Sissi, and herself."

"Wait, why is she mad at herself?" asked Ulrich, bewildered.

"Since she still thinks you've got a thing for Sissi, she's wondering what she did to make that happen," answered Aelita simply. Ulrich's left hand fisted and he groaned again.

"What's the good news?" asked Ulrich desperately.

"Her dad's back," murmured Aelita, smiling. "She told me about the night he left. He came back and worked things out with her mom."

"That's great!" said Ulrich. His grin faded when his memory came back to him. "She told you...everything?"

"Yeah," said Aelita sadly. "At least she was there for Hiroki. The poor guy might not have been able to handle it if she wasn't there hugging him while it was going on."

"Right, right," said Ulrich, nodding again, trying not to let his face betray his ease. "Thanks, Aelita."

"Any time."

* * *

Yumi found herself glowering at Jeremie and snapped her gaze to the ground. All five of them were at their bench in the courtyard. First period was over, and Jeremie was informing them about the mission to Sector 5 he had planned out for tonight. He and Aelita were sitting in the middle of the bench, his arm around her waist and her listening intently. Odd was standing up behind them, and was smacking his lips to tease them until he got a well-aimed punch from Aelita in the shoulder. Ulrich was leaning against the arm at one end, and Yumi was at the other, trying not to look at him.

It wasn't fair. The way Jeremie was looking at Aelita made her stomach churn. Like if Aelita got so much as a paper cut, Jeremie would drop everything to make it better. It was the Look Yumi had seen in all those sappy romance films, except a thousand times more sincere. Aelita gets a promise ring, Yumi gets stabbed in the back. She didn't like being jealous of Aelita, she was glad Aelita had Jeremie, but she wanted someone to give her the Look.

She wanted Ulrich to give her the Look.

Ulrich had long since abandoned his attempts to keep his eyes off Yumi. Every curve of her face was etched into his mind already, but that didn't stop him from doing so again. A stray lock of hair was hanging in her face, the wind must have pushed it there, and his right hand, which he had shoved in his bag, yearned to pull it out of the way. Her chocolate colored eyes were studying the pavement beneath their feet. He guessed she wasn't listening to Jeremie, either, only nodding when it seemed appropriate.

The bell rang, cutting Jeremie off in mid-sentence. He sighed, knowing the only one who listened to him was Aelita, anyway. Yumi held her books tighter and took two steps before Ulrich called out.

"Yumi," Ulrich hitched his bag over his shoulder and moved to stop her. She hesitated, and her head turned a fraction of an inch, but she kept walking.

So she still hadn't cooled down in the seventeen hours(no matter what Odd said, it was _not_ obsessive to keep count) between their argument and now. He turned around to go to class with Odd, Jeremie, and Aelita, all with empathy on their faces.

* * *

"Ulrich, breathe!"

Ulrich inhaled deeply at Bastien's request, but didn't stop pacing back and forth in the dorm he shared with Odd.

"Let the breath out!"

"Sorry," mumbled Ulrich, exhaling.

"Stop worrying, you haven't lost Yumi," said Jeremie.

"I don't get it, why would Sissi kiss me like that?" asked Ulrich furiously. It was three days ago, and he _still_ couldn't figure it out. Yumi dodged being around him quite well, and had made no attempt to make amends yet.

"It does you no good to worry about it," said Thomas sharply. "It's done, and now you need to fix things with Yumi."

"She won't even listen to me," said Ulrich pointedly.

"Eh, we'll work around that," said Jean-Baptiste casually. "Besides, every couple has a lover's spat. It's only natural."

"Not every couple," said Ulrich, glaring at Jeremie.

"For the record, Aelita and I have had a fight," said Jeremie flatly.

"When?" asked Odd, shooting up into a sitting position on Jeremie's bed. "You never told us!"

"And have you try to butt in to make it better?" asked Jeremie, adjusting his glasses. "I'd have to be the dumbest genius alive."

"What was it about?" asked Christophe interestedly.

"Odd, Ulrich, you two are my best friends, but I'm about ready to kill you," said Jeremie simply. "Whatever you found that was so humorous about the Taelia incident was obviously lost on Aelita."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ulrich, bewildered. "We'd never say anything to her!"

"Maybe not on purpose," said Jeremie. "She overheard you two joking about it on the way to your dorm yesterday morning."

"Wait...you had a thing for that Taelia girl?" asked Alexandre, turned red from suppressed laughter. "What is up with you and girls with pink hair?"

Jeremie shot him a menacing glare. Odd and Ulrich flushed and sheepishly stared at the carpet. Jeremie wasn't amused. Odd coughed into his fist before popping the question.

"Ah...what'd you do?" asked Odd. Jeremie thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Can't tell you," said Jeremie finally. This grabbed all the boys' interest.

"Why not?" demanded Thomas.

"You'll hit me," answered Jeremie curtly.

"Now I'm not sure I want to know," replied Alexandre, smirking. Jeremie turned a brilliant shade of red.

"Shut up," was his response.

"Come on, Jeremie!" pleaded Ulrich. "You can't just discover the secret of making up with a girl after a fight and keep it to yourself!"

"All right," said Jeremie wearily. He spoke slowly, "Aelita and I...talked...it...out."

The boys gaped at him, but only Ulrich acted. "You're right, I'm going to hit you," declared Ulrich.

"Ouch," muttered Jeremie, rubbing the bruise on his arm.

"Thanks for the help, Captain Cliché!" retorted Ulrich. "I told you, Yumi won't talk to me! You've got a girlfriend who always listens to what you have to say!"

"When she's in a good mood," corrected Jeremie. "You've seen Aelita when she's mad. Imagine how fan-_freaking_-tastic it was having her mad at me. Thanks, _buddy_."

"So how did you..." Jean-Baptiste trailed off.

"_Make_ her listen to what you have to say," Jeremie instructed Ulrich. "If she says she has to be somewhere, don't let her go. If she pushes you away, hold her tighter. And don't forget to apologize."

"I didn't do anything wrong!" defended Ulrich. "And neither did you, for that matter!"

"I was sorry I hurt her," said Jeremie evenly. "And I know you are, too. Saying sorry is basically the only thing you can do to make her feel better. I suppose you could give her chocolates, if you wanted. I didn't have any on me when I cornered Aelita after dinner."

"I thought you were working yesterday when you skipped supper," said Odd.

"Yeah, I was plotting your murders," retorted Jeremie.

"So, I guess we're not off the hook?" asked Ulrich innocently.

"She thought the only reason I loved her was because her hair was pink," said Jeremie through gritted teeth. "Do you realize how hard it was getting her to listen to me?"

"Um...sorry?" offered Odd weakly. Jeremie's glare didn't soften.

"It's been three days," said Jeremie. "Go find her and set things right. Hopefully somebody will say the three magic words that will make us go away."

"And if she still won't listen to me?" asked Ulrich, standing up and heading for the door.

"That's when we take control," said Odd. Ulrich frowned at the vagueness but crossed his fingers and prayed for a miracle all the same as he swiftly left.

* * *

He came to an abrupt halt when he saw her walking through the park. More like marching. Every move she made was stiff and routine. Her eyebrows formed a deep smile, and her mouth didn't mimic it. Ulrich felt his book bag drop from his shoulder and onto the ground; her presence commanded his attention. Angry at him or not, it didn't change how he felt about her.

Jeremie's words rang through his head. _Make her listen_. Easy for him to say. True, Aelita had a temper, but it was mild compared to Yumi's. Ulrich would be the last to deny that Yumi could wipe the floor with him if need be.

She still hadn't noticed he was there. Yumi was probably off to her house to eat lunch. To avoid him. Ulrich quietly prowled up behind her, hoping to keep the element of surprise. Unfortunately her instincts must have tipped her off when he was only a yard away from touching her shoulder.

"Ulrich?" Yumi's face was one of shock, which confused him. Surely she knew he was going to talk to her?

"Yumi, this has gone on long enough," Ulrich started the speech he had memorized last night. Said speech was wiped clean from his memory when her eyes narrowed and she took a step back from him.

"Save it," she said.

"No." Ulrich grabbed her elbows and felt her tense. She didn't pull away, though. "Hear me out."

"Why should I?" asked Yumi coldly. "I've seen enough already."

"Yumi, will you just listen to me?" Ulrich was having a hard time keeping his voice level. Why was it so easy for her to infuriate him? His words kept her lips sealed for the time being, at least. "I did not choose to have Sissi's slimy lips on mine! What part of that don't you understand?"

"The part where you _didn't_ push her away!" answered Yumi.

"You've known me for over a year! Do I really seem like the kind of guy who would cheat on the best thing that ever happened to him?"

This stopped Yumi's next shout from coming out of her mouth. Ulrich's eyes were boring a hole through her, and his grip had grown tighter. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make his point. He didn't want them fighting anymore. He just said she was the best thing that ever happened to him.

"Will getting you a bat so you can take it out on Sissi make you happy?" asked Ulrich. Yumi felt the one thing she thought was impossible at the moment: a smile creeping on her face. She couldn't tell if he was joking or not, but it was funny all the same.

"Yumi!"

The smile fell from her lips. Of course. _Of course_ he had to come and ruin everything.

"Go away, William," Ulrich managed to say through gritted teeth. The black-haired boy frowned and came closer.

"Chill out, Stern," replied William. "Yumi, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out later. The Subsonics just came out with a new CD, and I bought it yesterday. I thought we could..."

The way Yumi was gaping at him silenced William. He didn't really think this would work, did he? The hopeful expression on his face told otherwise.

"Go away, William," Yumi echoed Ulrich's words.

"Oh, come on, it'll be a lot of fun, and--"

"She said go," Ulrich snapped. William's frown returned deeper, and he set a hand on Yumi's shoulder. She felt herself being jerked away; Ulrich's arms pulled her towards him and further from William.

"William, I'm not interested," said Yumi with finality. This didn't discourage him.

"Maybe tomorrow?" offered William.

Ulrich was able to turn the scream about to leave his mouth into a low grunt in his throat. William wasn't a girl, and Ulrich would take some delight in mangling his body...No, no, too messy. William was good-looking enough to get a decent girl, why did he have to go for Yumi?

"Are we speaking the same language?" retorted Yumi, more than a little annoyed now. "I said no."

"You really oughta go now," advised Ulrich hotly.

"Make me," replied William coolly.

_Oh no_, thought Yumi. Her gaze darted from Ulrich and William and back again. Blasted pride! What were they going to do, duke it out for her honor? Ulrich's grasp on her was tighter than ever; she was sure her arms were red under the sleeves of her shirt. Her fists clenched as she watched the silent battle they were having with their eyes and was reminded vaguely of a western showdown.

"All right, Pighead, Big Shot, break it up," she ordered stiffly. She broke out of Big Shot's arms and yanked him by the back of his shirt to follow her.

"Yumi!" Ulrich started stumbling over his feet as he walked backwards with her. "What are you--"

"You need to cool it," chided Yumi, letting him go only when they were at least twenty meters away from Pighead.

"He started--"

"I don't care who started it!" Yumi felt like she was dealing with preschoolers. "You think I _want_ to see Delmas suspend you?"

Ulrich chewed the inside of his cheek as he watched William stalk away over Yumi's shoulder. At least she cared what happened to him. Now, though, she was even more angry. Great.

"I'm late for lunch," muttered Yumi, storming out of the park. Ulrich groaned and slid down onto the ground in the shade of the tree behind him.

_If she says she has to be somewhere, don't let her go._

"Oh, shut up, Jeremie."


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Code Lyoko.

Chapter 17

Jeremie dropped the cellphone defeatedly on his desk, shaking his head.

"It didn't work?" asked Odd, sprawled out on Jeremie's bed.

"William decided to butt in," said Jeremie. "They need to be able to yell without someone interrupting or either of them walking away."

"I suppose we have no choice," said Aelita, leaning against the desk. "We send them in tomorrow, then?"

"We don't want them making it worse," agreed Jeremie. "And I'm exhausted from trying to keep up with them."

"What did you expect?" asked Odd, grinning. "It's Yumi and Ulrich. Prouder than two peacocks."

"Wonder if that'll change once they come back," mumbled Jeremie thoughtfully.

"Nah," replied Odd, shaking his head. "Having Aelita doesn't make you any less of an egghead."

"You know, Odd," said Aelita mischievously. "after tomorrow you'll be the only one not in love. We oughta set you up with someone."

Odd was horror struck at the thought, and he stood up only to fall on his knees in front of her. "Oh, Princess, I beseech you, have mercy!" wailed Odd, clasping his hands together. Aelita giggled and Jeremie rolled his eyes.

"I was only joking, Odd," assured Aelita, patting his spiked hair. He threw his hands up in the air and pretended to kiss her toes.

"A thousand praises bestowed upon you and your prince!" cried Odd. Jeremie couldn't hold back a chuckle at the sight.

"You sure you're not going to get lonely, Odd?" asked Jeremie. "I'm sure we could find you a nice girl...how about Sissi?"

Odd crawled on his shins to Jeremie's chair and clasped his hands together again. "Oh, Einstein, I bes--"

"Joking, Odd," Jeremie cut him off.

"A thousand praises bestowed upon you and your princess!"

"The Prince, the Princess, and the Fool," kidded Aelita. Odd raised an eyebrow.

"Make that nine hundred and ninety-nine praises for you," retorted Odd wryly. "I deserve Knight, at the very least!"

"_Anyway_, we all know our stations?" asked Jeremie, thoroughly amused by the scene.

"I was born for this part!" declared Odd dramatically. Aelita burst out into laughter, but managed a nod.

"Good." Jeremie let out a sigh of relief, anxious to get these lessons over with. He and Aelita both felt they had gotten sufficient revenge, and with all the time they used to spend planning, they could now use for finding the antivirus. Or, for spending a little "quality time" with each other...Jeremie felt himself blush at that thought.

"Uh oh, I can see I'm wearing out my welcome," said Odd teasingly. "I'll leave you two alone to—oh, how do you guys put it? Oh, right—work."

Odd strolled out, humming a random tune, leaving behind two embarrassed, but not unhappy, young geniuses. The last he saw as he closed the door on his way out was Aelita edging towards Jeremie, and his hand covering hers on the desk.

* * *

Yumi glared at the hard metal doors of the elevator. The twenty seconds it was taking to get to the lab seemed longer than usual. Odd was the only thing that stood between her and Ulrich, and only because she had purposefully placed herself on the other side of the eccentric blonde. Jeremie's emergency call better have been for a good reason.

"You're finally here," greeted Jeremie, not looking up when the doors opened. Aelita was standing next to him, studying the calculations on the monitor.

"What's the problem?" asked Ulrich.

"No problem," said Jeremie, shaking his head. "I'm going to install some upgrades into your Lyoko forms. I need you on Lyoko to do that, though."

"All right," said Odd, smiling. "Coming, Princess?"

"Jeremie is still fine-tuning my upgrades," explained Aelita.

"Head to the scanners," instructed Jeremie.

Yumi pressed down on the elevator button, avoiding Ulrich's gaze at all costs. Whatever happened, she would not be entranced by his warm eyes. She wasn't going to fall for his strong build. Or his tender smile, or the way his hair fell in his face, or—

_Snap out of it!_ Yumi shook her head slightly, still staring straight ahead. Odd made a beeline out of the elevator towards the scanner in the middle. Yumi took the one on the left, Ulrich the one on the right, and the last thing she saw was him. Looking at her. With the Look all over his face.

"Transfer, scanner, virtualization," Jeremie ran through the procedure with ease. He waited until the very last minute to cancel Odd's virtualization.

Ulrich bent his knees instinctively and landed on his feet. He warily scanned the desert plateau they were on, and noticed the great lack of purple next to him.

"Jeremie, Odd didn't make it," called out Ulrich.

"I know, there was a glitch in the process," Jeremie lied smoothly. At this point Odd emerged from the old green elevator into the lab.

"Should we wait up for him?" asked Yumi, keeping an eye out for any looming danger.

"No, the system is all bugged up," replied Jeremie. "I can't bring you two back, either. There should be a tower forty degrees north of you. Make sure you don't lose all your life points. If you do...you're gone for good."

"Aye aye, captain," said Ulrich, saluting the sky. "Any chance of you sending our vehicles?"

"I haven't got the resources to bring them up," Jeremie informed them apologetically. "You'll have to go on foot."

"Is Xana sending us a welcoming committee?" asked Yumi.

"It's all clear for now," assured Jeremie. "But be careful all the same."

Ulrich shot a sideways glance at the geisha beside him, but she stared resolutely forward as she darted towards the northern tower, with him not far behind. They reached it in minutes and fell through without a problem. Yumi silently claimed one side of the platform as her territory, leaving Ulrich to resign himself to the other.

"Jeremie, how long do you think it'll take to bring us back?" asked Yumi, examining her fan absently.

"I...signal...losing...comm--"

* * *

Jeremie pressed his tongue against the back of the roof of his mouth, making static-like sounds. After a few seconds of this he turned off the microphone.

"Last resort, don't fail us now," said Odd solemnly.

* * *

Ulrich watched his legs swinging over the edge of the platform, over the bleak black hole beneath him. He could feel Yumi's presence only feet away, but forced his lovestruck brain to think of something else. _Soccer_, he thought. _Roaring fans, the adrenaline, scoring the winning goal, the crowd going wild, cheers coming from the_...cheerleaders. Like Yumi. Needless to say, she did look good in the rather snug uniform. Ulrich felt his heart beat just a bit faster and jerked his head to the side, peering at her out of the corner of his eye.

Yumi watched the windows of coding fade in and out of place in front of her. It might have fascinated Aelita when she spent a year in this world, but it might as well have been Greek for all the interest it held for Yumi. Besides, the young man behind her wouldn't get out of her head.

Why was he going to mix it up with William? Did he think that would change anything between them? If he wasn't so hotheaded—he wouldn't be Ulrich. Still, she couldn't be pulling his butt out of the fire every time he was about to do something unbelievably stupid. Getting into a fight was reckless and dangerous and...exactly the kind of thing Ulrich would do if it meant keeping her safe.

_That's no excuse_, barked the still angry part of her mind. _Think about something else. Dad. He's back, and Mom and Hiroki are happy. A lot happier since the night he_...Ugh.

"I guess we're still not talking, then?" Ulrich decided the silence had to be broken. Yumi tensed but said nothing. Ulrich sighed and turned around, still sitting, to face her back. "Come on, Yumi."

"You and William are the biggest idiots I've ever seen," Yumi muttered under her breath. Ulrich caught only "You and William".

"Oh, you're still mad about that?" asked Ulrich sheepishly. Yumi turned her head only.

"What do you think?" asked Yumi coldly.

"You wanted him to leave," reminded Ulrich.

"Preferably unscathed," finished Yumi. Ulrich frowned.

"Sorry if I was going to bruise Pretty Boy's handsome face," retorted Ulrich with a huff, shifting away from her. Her jaw dropped and she jumped to her feet, glaring a hole into the back of his head. "I can't believe you're defending him."

"_Defending him?!_" spat Yumi. "Do you know what you're saying?"

"All I know is that you didn't seem to mind all that much when he was ogling you," snapped Ulrich.

"Oh, right, let's forget all about the absolute ball you had making out with Sissi!" yelled Yumi. "You've got a lot of nerve, I'll give you that!"

"I told you, there's nothing between me and Sissi!" Ulrich felt his voice raising, but didn't care. He didn't remember when he had risen to his feet, but there he was, scowling with her face-to-face. "If you want to pout because I'm too much of a gentleman to punch her lights out, go right ahead!"

"And if you decide our entire relationship meant nothing, be my guest!" responded Yumi. "Damn it, Ulrich, why is it so hard for you to understand that I'm not in any way attracted to William?'

"Maybe if he wasn't attached to you it'd be easier!" shot back Ulrich.

"At least I'm not slobbering all over him!"

"You think I slobber all over Sissi?" asked Ulrich incredulously. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, I was telling the truth whenever I said I despised her? Did you ever once wonder whether or not I really did think she is an airhead, a snob, a spoiled brat? That I'm not as in love with her as you think? That I could very well be in love with _you?_ Oh, but _no!_ Not when you can fantasize about Pretty Boy Dunbar! Not when I've spent the last year and a half pining for you!"

"That's ridiculous! You've got every girl on this side of France swooning over you while I'm the one always saving your sorry arse on Lyoko and Earth! And you wanna know why? No, of course you don't! Not when you can have perfect, beautiful, _pain-in-the-neck_ Sissi!"

"You think she's better than you? You can't be serious!"

"You obviously think so!"

"If I did why would I have gone out with you?" asked Ulrich, more frustrated than he had hoped to become.

"Beats me!" answered Yumi, struggling to restrain herself from whipping out her fans on him. "I don't know, to make another girl jealous?"

"If there was any girl I'd ever want to make jealous it would be you!"

"So you kissed Sissi to make me jealous? That's a pretty dumb reason!" retorted Yumi.

"No! Ugh!" Ulrich growled, wanting to punch something, anything, just to let out the fury she was building up in him. Why did she always make these things so difficult? "I didn't want to kiss her at all!"

"_Then why did you?_"

"For the last time, _I didn't!_"

* * *

"How long are they going to keep this up?" asked Aelita, her eyes widening at the string of words coming from the speaker.

"With Ulrich and Yumi it's hard to tell," answered Jeremie. "But they've got to run out of insults sooner or later."

"You don't give them enough credit," said Odd. "I'm sure they'll be going at it for a few more hours."

"You think they'll mind if we leave them there overnight?" asked Aelita, grinning.

"If you call throwing us off the roof minding it, then yes," answered Odd.

"Let the chips fall where they may," said Jeremie cryptically, leaning back in the chrome chair as he listened to the ranting.

* * *

"Yumi, if you know what I've been putting up with over the last few weeks you'd know I'd never kiss Sissi of my own!" shouted Ulrich, more to himself than to her.

"It can't be any worse than the living Hell I've been put through!" retorted Yumi. "But I still didn't kiss William!"

"Will you just let it go!" yelled Ulrich. He was past frustration, he had hit boiling mad. How was he supposed to convince her he was telling the truth?

"One guy asks me to hang out with him and you flip out!" replied Yumi bitterly. "It's like you don't even trust me!" She wanted to give Ulrich a black eye. She wanted to throw her arms around him and never let go. She wanted him to go away. She wanted him to stay where he was forever. What was he doing to her?

"Yes, because you trust me so much!" said Ulrich, making every syllable drip with sarcasm. "Yumi, I don't give a damn about Sissi! Don't you get it? I'm in love with _you!_"

"I love you, too!" shot Yumi.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

* * *

Aelita's jaw dropped with Jeremie's and Odd's. She stared at both the boys, then had no other choice than to bury her head in Jeremie's shoulder to stifle the giggles. Jeremie looked up at the ceiling, muttering "Hallelujah." Odd was writhing on the ground with laughter.

"We did it!" Odd cheered, holding his sides.

"Wait a minute," Jeremie held a finger up and listened intently. He groaned. "Oh, come on!"

* * *

"You're the proudest, most stubborn girl I've ever met!" said Ulrich furiously. "Why won't you listen to me?"

"Because you won't listen to me!" snapped Yumi. "I told you, I..."

_I'm in love with_ you!

_I love you, too!_

Her expression went slack at the same time Ulrich's did. Did she just...? Did _he_ just...? They just...He loved her. He said it himself. Well, yelled was a more appropriate word, but the words were still there. Ulrich Stern was in love with her.

Ulrich's mind cleared instantly. Any anger he was feeling, whether it was directed at Yumi, William, or Sissi, disintegrated immediately. Bliss took over. Yumi Ishiyama was in love with him.

He took a step towards her and grabbed her shoulders, peering thoughtfully into her eyes. Yumi felt her knees shaking, tried her best to steady herself, and failed abysmally. Ulrich was still staring at her, but he wasn't saying anything. She was fairly certain her voice had abandoned her.

"You said you love me," Ulrich bluntly broke the silence, running one tingling virtual finger down the side of her face.

"S-so did you," croaked Yumi, wincing at her cracked voice. Ulrich nodded. "Did you...mean it?"

Ulrich would have laughed had the situation not been so serious. She was actually doubting if he loved her? Loving her was as natural as breathing to him! And yet, she had that same look on her face that she had on the night her father left. Scared. Vulnerable. Like he could break her with his next words. He chose not to use words, but actions instead. Ulrich pulled her shoulders to match his and clamped her in a fierce hug. She was trembling, but he didn't notice.

"Oh!" was all Yumi could say as, byte by byte, she disappeared in his arms. Her wireframe faded into nothingness, and there was nothing Ulrich could do about it, because the process was simultaneously happening to him.

* * *

"And they lived happily ever after," said Jeremie, listening to the whirring of the scanners below. He closed out the devirtualization program and grinned.

"Way to ruin the moment, Einstein," commented Odd. "They were just about to kiss, you know."

"They should at least be able to feel it," argued Jeremie. "Lyoko takes away touch, remember?"

"And how do you know that?" asked Odd coyly. Aelita and Jeremie turned pink but didn't answer. "I'm surprised my teeth haven't rotted out considering the sweetness I have to put up with!"

"Well done, everyone," said Jeremie, ignoring Odd's remark. "We've officially achieved the impossible."

"Jeremie, you're a genius," replied Aelita warmly. "This was a great idea."

"Even though it was already used," said Odd, smirking.

"You're one good plan," retorted Jeremie. "I thought it was worth a second try."

"We should probably go," Aelita intervened. "and give the couple some privacy."

Jeremie logged off and took Aelita's hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of her palm. Odd pretended to gag until Aelita reached up and gave a sharp yank to his pointed hair. The three ascended via the elevator, relieved that they had finally accomplished their goal.

* * *

Ulrich was too eager as he crumpled into the scanner. He shot up and would have sprang out, except he banged his head on the still opening scanner doors. He coughed on the smoke and paid no mind to the throbbing in his forehead, racing towards the scanner across from him and just barely managed not to trip on the opening to who-knew-where that was inconveniently placed in the center of the room.

Yumi was on her knees when the smoke cleared. She smiled meekly and shakily rose to her feet, with Ulrich ready to catch her should she fall. He slowly and deliberately brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, relishing the sensation. He heard a rumbling from above and ignored it. The rest of the world could wait.

"Are you all right?" asked Ulrich.

"Yeah, I'm..." Yumi wasn't sure there was a word to describe how she felt. She gasped when she felt Ulrich's hand cup around her jaw. The truth slid easily from her tongue. "I love you, Ulrich."

Ulrich beamed and leaned in to kiss her. It had only been a few days since he'd done so, but it felt like an eternity. Yumi's arms quickly snaked around his neck, as if trying to satiate a hunger for him. Ulrich's knees buckled as her scent threatened to overwhelm him, but against all odds he stayed steady. Yumi hesitantly pulled back, gulping in oxygen.

"Love you, Yumi," said Ulrich hazily. She pressed her head into his shoulder, and he stroked the back of her hair. "You have no idea how good it feels to say that."

Yumi felt a shudder tingle up and down her spine, but ignored it. "H-How long have you wanted to say that?"

"You know how long we've known each other?"

"Yeah?"

"Take away about a week."

Yumi sighed. So she didn't have to go through all those lessons. He'd loved her all along. And Aelita and all of her teachers had known it.

"You didn't tell me sooner because...?" asked Yumi,.

"Like I needed my best friend laughing off my confession of love for her?" asked Ulrich. "Besides, it only got harder when William showed up."

"But...I love you," said Yumi, thinking how he was the obvious choice compared to William.

"I didn't know," replied Ulrich shyly. He pulled back to look at her. "Please tell me this isn't some dream I'm about to wake up from."

"If it is, I hope I don't wake up," said Yumi. Ulrich beamed and kissed her again, longer than last time.

Yumi curled up in his arms and listened to his heartbeat. It was a rapid beat, one that made her smile. Right now, the whole of France could be on fire and she wouldn't care. Her world was _finally_ at peace.

* * *

**A/N:** All right, I'll admit this wasn't the most romantic confession I could have come up with. I really need to stop trying to be funny...


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko.

Chapter 18

Spring. That was the only word to fit the scent Jeremie had just inhaled. He looked down at the girl, arms slung around his neck, legs bent over his lap, cuddling up against him, and sniffed again. Her scent was much better. She peered up at him and smiled, shifting in his embrace so they were closer in the shade of the tree they were under. He had one arm hugged around her back and was playing with the puff ball dangling on her boot with his free hand.

"Tell me something about you," she demanded, rubbing her cheek against his chest.

"Huh?" asked Jeremie, confused.

"Something I don't already know," Aelita elaborated. "Anything."

"All right..." Jeremie thought hard for a moment, raking his fingers through her hair. "I love eating macaroni. Your turn."

"You already know everything about me," reminded Aelita.

"Try me."

"Lilies are my favorite flower."

"I didn't know that," said Jeremie, mildly surprised. "I thought you preferred carnations."

"I changed my mind," replied Aelita simply. "Your turn."

Jeremie gazed inquisitively at her, wondering what caused her sudden curiosity. She pointed a finger at the algebra book cast aside. "We _were_ studying," she said. "And we've got all the material down. Why not learn something about each other?"

"In that case, my favorite color isn't blue," said Jeremie. Aelita raised an eyebrow. "It's green."

"Why's that?" asked Aelita.

"A certain someone's eyes changed my mind," answered Jeremie, kissing her forehead. Aelita turned pink and buried herself deeper into him.

"Lately my nightmares haven't been so bad," murmured Aelita.

"That's great, Aelita," said Jeremie sincerely.

"Yeah...whenever something starts scaring me, I...um..." Aelita faltered in embarrassment. "You come along and chase it away. Then you hold me until I wake up."

Jeremie blushed bright red and hugged her as tight as physics would allow him. "I love you," whispered Jeremie.

"I know that," said Aelita, flushed. "And I love you, too."

Yes," said Jeremie, nuzzling the top of her head. "But what you don't know is that I'm not in love with only you."

Aelita's smile faded as confusion took over. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm in love with your spirit," answered Jeremie. Aelita's grin returned. "Your mind." Jeremie planted a kiss on her temple. "Your eyes." He kissed each eyelid as they fluttered closed. "Your smile."

Jeremie pushed a gentle kiss on her mouth. Aelita cupped her hands around his face. Her eyes flew open in surprise when he pulled away suddenly, and their lips disconnected with a small smacking sound.

"All right, loverboy, come on."

Jeremie felt a pull on the back of his shirt as he was jerked away from Aelita. She was blushing and looking at something above his head.

"You couldn't have waited a few minutes?" grumbled Jeremie, turning around to see a smirking Ulrich.

"It's not my fault you've got a slow mouth," defended Ulrich, sitting down on the ground.

"Might I ask where the future Mrs. Stern is?" asked Aelita, giggling at Ulrich's monstrous blush. "I'm surprised you two aren't off somewhere alone."

"I know you set us up," said Ulrich venomously. "And for that, here." Ulrich balled up his fist and gave Jeremie two good bonks on the head.

"You had to do it twice?" asked Jeremie, rubbing the sore spot on his skull.

"I can't hit a girl," said Ulrich, shrugging. Aelita glared at him and planted a kiss on what was sure to become a lump on her beau's head. "I know you were involved too, Princess."

"I'd have thought you'd be more grateful for our services," muttered Jeremie.

"I'm grateful I didn't lose my mind!" spat Ulrich. "You two are cruel."

"Giving you the girl of your dreams as a girlfriend is cruel?" asked Aelita, quirking an eyebrow.

"You only needed that one last plan to get us to confess," said Ulrich. "Why didn't you use just that?"

"You want to be stuck on Lyoko for a week?" asked Jeremie. "You're both too stubborn. You were more likely to spill it while you were yelling at each other."

"So you did set us up," growled Ulrich. "Doesn't that sound a little familiar?"

"Like I told Odd, it was your one good plan," retorted Jeremie.

"Odd was in on it, too?" asked Ulrich furiously.

"He's your teacher too," pointed out Aelita.

"Don't tell Yumi," begged Ulrich. Although he loved her with all his heart and knew she felt the same, he'd die of embarrassment if she knew how much effort it took for him to tell her.

"Where is Yumi, anyway?" asked Jeremie.

"Her dad threatened to ground her if she didn't get home for dinner," said Ulrich glumly. "He wasn't exactly thrilled when he found out I was with her."

"Are you planning on sneaking up to her window?" asked Jeremie, smirking. "I think she'd prefer you over a fake love letter."

Ulrich felt the heat rising in his cheeks, remembering the last time he had come to Yumi's window. Jeremie didn't really need to know about that, did he? After all, he wasn't Ulrich's teacher anymore.

"None of your business," said Ulrich quickly.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Ulrich resisted the urge to give Jeremie another lump on his head. Yumi loved him. If Jeremie felt like being a little cheeky, he'd let him. Today. Ulrich jumped when he felt something sink down into the grass next to him. He turned to look at two unblinking brown eyes, and felt his heart going at it like a jackhammer.

"Hi, Yumi."

Yumi reluctantly tore her gaze away from Ulrich to Aelita, and her eyes narrowed. It didn't take a genius to know being trapped on Lyoko was no mistake. Getting Jeremie to go along with it would have been no problem; the boy was wrapped around the pinkette's finger. And Odd was always a fan of tormenting Yumi and Ulrich.

"Hi, Aelita," Yumi mumbled through gritted teeth.

"I for one am glad we're finally done with these lessons," said Aelita, flopping onto her back to embellish her exhaust.

"_Aelita!_" Yumi and Ulrich shouted at the same time. They froze at the sound of the other's voice and stared at each other. Aelita jerked her head up and gaped with Jeremie.

"You didn't..." Jeremie faltered, glancing at Aelita, the couple, and back again. "What exactly were you _doing_ in the scanner room?...Wait, don't answer that. You didn't do a lot of talking though, did you?"

Ulrich and Yumi blushed, although they had resumed glaring at Aelita. Ulrich pressed a finger to his mouth, but that only made her eyes widen further.

"They have to know," Jeremie murmured to Aelita. "They weren't supposed to keep it a secret forever."

"Very well, we'll tell them," said Aelita, sitting back up. "Ulrich, you should recall that Yumi's been acting a little strangely lately, correct?"

"Aelita!" Yumi wanted nothing more than to strangle the girl right now, just to keep her silent.

"Yumi, he loves you, nothing I say is going to change that," reminded Aelita dryly. "Ulrich, do you remember when Yumi became a cheerleader?"

"Yeah," answered Ulrich.

"It didn't really seem like something Yumi would do, did it?"

Ulrich cast his gaze to the fuming girl next to her, not sure how to answer. She was deliriously happy earlier this afternoon, but now she seemed ready to murder. He didn't want to make it any worse.

"She didn't do it willingly," Aelita continued. "You know how Jeremie, Odd, and those other boys have been teaching you how to flirt with her?"

Yumi gasped and snapped her head to Ulrich fast enough to get whiplash. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. A very red deer.

"She's been having teachers, too."

Yumi's blush matched then surpassed Ulrich's. They both stared down, trying to absorb the information. Jeremie and Aelita waited somewhat impatiently, then sighed when the couple said nothing.

"Oh, come on, it's not _that_ hard to believe," said Aelita. "I had teachers. Jeremie had teachers. Think of it as our gift to you."

"Wait a minute, _you_ had teachers?" Ulrich was dumbfounded. "Aelita! Why didn't you tell us?"

"You didn't ask," replied Aelita sweetly.

"I can sort of believe Jeremie needing help with romance," admitted Yumi sheepishly. "No offense, Jer."

"None taken."

"And you..." Yumi stared at Ulrich. He'd been more stressed out than usual lately, and now she knew why. He'd been put through the exact same nightmare she'd been experiencing. Because...he loved her. Yumi smiled when she remembered that. Ulrich seemed to make the identical connection she did, and met her eyes again.

"Wow," he murmured, his face breaking out into a grin.

"I suppose now isn't a good time to say you two fight like an old married couple," Jeremie commented casually. They didn't seem to hear.

Ulrich knew that this didn't change anything, but felt like a cinder block had been lifted off his chest all the same. The reason Yumi hadn't thought he was acting like a dork was because she was too preoccupied trying to...flirt with him? It was too much to take in at once.

"Why didn't you say anything?" asked Yumi, half relieved, half exasperated. "You could've...it would've been so much...Ulrich Stern, what is the matter with you?"

"I just didn't want you to think I was desperate," said Ulrich. "You didn't exactly tell me all about your lessons!"

"Because I didn't want you to think I was..." Yumi trailed off, turning red. Ulrich smirked and scooted closer to her. He tipped her head up to his and kissed her mouth. Albeit he was quite familiar with it by now, it possessed a taste he'd never tire of.

After a while Aelita popped the question. "Jeremie, don't they need air?" Jeremie smiled and pressed a kiss on the top of her head. "I think their lungs are pretty strong," explained Jeremie. "I guess so," she murmured.

Ulrich pulled back and frowned at them. "Must you?" he asked incredulously. Jeremie and Aelita smirked.

"_You_ walked in on _us_," said Aelita. "We'll tease if we want to."

Yumi rolled her eyes at them and looked back at Ulrich. He was all that mattered now, anyway. "Fine, we'll go," said Ulrich, standing up. "We could go back to my dorm, if you want."

Jeremie and Aelita snickered. Ulrich glared ruefully at them.

"I know for a fact that your room is accustomed to having a certain female visitor, Jeremie."

Jeremie fell silent as he blushed. Ulrich slipped an arm around Yumi's waist and left their tormentors behind. Yumi rested her head on his shoulder. They were quiet at first, content with each other's presence, until Ulrich broke the silence.

"I love you, Yumi."

Yumi felt her heart soar at those words. She loved hearing him say that. Ulrich was gazing at her, not watching where he was going. She sighed and nuzzled his shoulder.

"You are so beautiful," murmured Ulrich. Yumi turned pink against her will. "When are you supposed to be back home?"

"Ten," answered Yumi.

"Too early."

"I'd have to be gone by nine-thirty, anyway," reminded Yumi. "Kadic has a curfew, too."

"Since when do we ever go by curfews?" asked Ulrich. Yumi had to admit he was right; they had all snuck out more than once to conquer Xana.

"We've got right now, you know."

"And I'm taking full advantage of that."

Ulrich gripped her tighter and buried his nose in her hair. She smelled amazing. He wondered if he would ever let her go. If the world were run his way, he wouldn't. Ulrich brushed his lips against her forehead.

"I can't believe I was so stupid," he muttered. "If I told you how I really felt, we wouldn't have had to put up with the resident evil geniuses."

"Hey, don't think I'm letting you take all the blame," chided Yumi. "It's just as much my fault. I had no idea you were in the same nightmare I was."

"Still, I should've done something."

"Why? Because you're the guy?" teased Yumi.

"Because I love you."

Yumi fastened her arms securely around his neck and was pressing her lips against Ulrich's before he was aware of what was happening. When he did figure it out he wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her and replying with a fierce kiss of his own. Finally that annoying necessity by the name of oxygen interfered, and they broke apart.

"I've missed that," commented Yumi. "You're a really good kisser."

"You're not half bad yourself," joked Ulrich. Yumi grinned and punched him softly in the chest.

"I love you, Ulrich," she whispered, pecking him on the cheek. Ulrich beamed.

"I love you too, Yumes," he replied. "and I always will."

"So you finally understand I couldn't care less if William moved to Antarctica and was eaten by penguins?" asked Yumi. She had to be certain he knew where they stood.

"I know. And you know that if Sissi was suddenly trampled by an elephant, I wouldn't mind in the slightest?"

"Of course."

Yumi frowned when Ulrich started laughing. "What's so funny?" she inquired.

"You...jealous...of _her!_" Ulrich gasped out between chuckles. Yumi's frowned deepened, and he sobered somewhat. "Sorry, it's just...when you're by yourself, you're incredible, but compared to..._that_..."

"I already love you, you don't have to flirt like that," said Yumi, hating the blood that was now pumping into her face.

Ulrich now knew what Jeremie meant when his mentors had questioned the genius about sweet talking Aelita. It was far too easy to compliment Yumi, especially now. He'd do anything to make up for the insanity she'd suffered; telling her what he felt was only the truth was the least he could do. Yumi seemed embarrassed by it. _She'll just have to get used to it,_ Ulrich thought. _She's not going to go another day without knowing just how much I care for her._

Yumi stopped when they reached the dorm. She cupped Ulrich's face in her hands and met his lips, still shocked after all this time how well their mouths fit together. The fingers of Ulrich's left hand intertwined with her hair, while the fingers of his right one stroked her back. Yumi grinned and pulled back once she'd had her fill, and let him unlock the door. They had a lot of catching up to do.

"Sorry for the mess," said Ulrich sheepishly. "Odd's not the tidiest roommate."

But Yumi wasn't focused on the room as a whole. Her eyes were fixated on the wall above Ulrich's bed.

"Hey, Ulrich?"

"Yeah?"

"Why is there a giant poster of me over your bed?"

"...That is an excellent question, Yumi."

**A/N:** This took me way too friggin' long to finish. If I can't have it done by Halloween, I can at least post this chapter by Christmas.

There will be no Flirting 103. Mainly because I'm not creative enough to come up with a whole new set of plans, and because I'm too lazy. There will be a final part to this series for anyone who doesn't want to see it end. I'm not sure if I will post it before or after I finish rewriting this story.

Yes, I'm rewriting this. I'll be frank: I wish I never wrote it this way. Not nearly enough YxU fluff, and far too much JxA action (Excuse me while I wash my mouth out). I meant to put in an Ulrich/William fight in here somewhere...I also plan on cutting out that song Ulrich sang. Music is apparently not my strong point. Anyway, I also wanted more zany plans from the teachers. They didn't really serve much purpose in this story other than to intimidate Yumi and Ulrich. All right, so maybe I _am_ an obsessive perfectionist...

I'm also not certain how active I'll be on FanFiction after I wrap this series up. I'm working on most of my JxA fics (Sorry, YxU fans). I'm about halfway done with the 99 JxA oneshots deal. I've got four or five other unfinished stories I'm trying to add on, but the damn writer's block won't bug off.

Thanks for reading, everyone.


End file.
